Sense Teens
by Convention of Distraction
Summary: 8 teenagers meet at a boarding school for the gifted and talented. Join Capheus, Kala, Lito, Nomi, Riley, Sun, Wolfgang, and Will on an adventure as they learn about the hardships and joys of being adolescents and sensates (AU). Based off of Netflix's web series Sense8. Finale now available.
1. Chapter 1- Goodbye

**Sense Teens**

The school was called the Boarding school for the Precocious and Omniscient, or BPO for short. It was located in Streymoy on the Faroe Islands, near a town called Hoyvik. It catered to teenagers that were "gifted, talented, and special." BPO, or the Board, as many of the students called it, was recognized as a great private school. Every January, the administration office was flooded with thousands of applicants from all parts of the globe. As the school year approached, the students who'd received their letters of acceptance prepared themselves for the voyage to the Islands…

/

"Hurry up Riley, you're going to be late!" The voice belonged to a tall, bearded man. He smiled as the seventeen-year-old girl ran down the

stairs of the house, her duffel bags in tow, and into the truck.

"Did you say goodbye to your father? You know you can't visit until the holidays."

"Don't worry, Sven," she said with a roll of her eyes, trying to contain her excitement. "I haven't forgotten Papa."

"Just making sure. We better hurry if we want to make it to the airport on time… it looks like it's going to rain."

Riley leaned forward to look up at the sky. As predicted, dark clouds could be seen in the distance of the Icelandic horizon.

She leaned back and turned to her house, smiling even though she felt a twinge of sadness. Sven started the car and they made it just as her flight was being boarded.

Riley had insisted on going to the Faroe Islands by herself, but her dad wouldn't have it, and had sent Sven to keep an eye on her. Wrapping herself in a blanket, she stared outside the airplane window at the clouds, brighter here than they had been in Reykjavik. The thrumming of the airplane and the quiet made her fall asleep, and an hour later she was jolted from her slumber as the airplane landed.

The sleek, modern landing strip looked wrong when compared to the jagged mountains and forests in the distance.

As she descended the plane, Sven called a cab to drive her to Hoyvik.

"You're not coming with me?" she asked, disappointment clear in her voice.

"You'll be fine from here, Riley." He leaned down and squeezed her hand, trying to convince her. "It's a one hour drive. If you don't feel good, I'll come back. Anytime. Anywhere. Okay?"

She looked up at him, then at the car that waited at the curb. The cabbie was already placing her duffel bag in the trunk of the car. "Okay. Goodbye, Sven."

"Goodbye."

He hugged her and watched as she shut the cab door, waving at him until they were no longer in each other's line of sight.

* * *

 _ **A/N** : Disclaimer- I do not own Sense8 or any of the characters. More chapters coming soon; I'm so excited to be working on my first Sense8 fan fic._

 _~C.o.D_


	2. Chapter 2- Welcome to the Board

_Chapter 2:_

BPO was a large school, reminiscent of the manor houses in the south of France. A building appeared behind tall gothic gates, trees dotting the road up to the wooden double doors. Behind the building was a courtyard with a fountain, spewing up water every now and then. On the sides of the fountain stood smaller houses, each the same smooth white brick as the large building. It would have been a very pretty sight if were not for the dark clouds looming overhead ominously. Wolfgang Bogdanow, however, was used to the weather. He was from Berlin, Germany; where it was almost always cloudy. He sighed, following a large crowd of students through the double doors into a large foyer with staircases on either side of the room.

It was much bigger inside than he'd expected, and he stood apart from the rest, his backpack at his feet. His was not the only reaction. Many other students whispered, wondering who'd show up. There were so many languages being spoken… French, Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic. He even thought he'd heard Greek, although he wasn't very sure. Of course, everyone here had a basic understanding of English, as that was the core language of the international school. His own English was okay, though he hadn't paid much attention at his public high school. He scanned the room, and saw a man standing at the top of the balcony. He slowly descended the staircase, stopping so that everyone could make him out. A hush descended upon the hundreds of students. The man was tall and his hair was shockingly white. He looked down at everyone through his glasses, his stare cold but amused.

"Hello everyone. I am Mr. Matheson, your headmaster for the next year. I hope you all enjoyed your summer." He looked around and paused on Wolfgang's face… then continued to look around the room.

"But, now, it is time to return to our studies. You have all been chosen to represent this institution because of your talents, intelligence, and diligence. _Don't_ disappoint. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, follow the halls to the administration rooms. They are based alphabetically on your names." With that he turned back upstairs, and everyone walked around the building, some whispering, others whooping loudly at the start of another school year.

Wolfgang walked around slowly, and then found his room at the end of the corridor. There was a paper taped to the door, which read "A-D." He turned the brass knob. A woman sat at a desk, typing on a computer. She turned in her swivel chair when she heard him come in. "Hello! What's your name?"

"Wolfgang Bogdanow." He stood, staring at her, as she typed in what he assumed was a registry. Her printer slid out a few papers, and she handed them to him.

"Enjoy your stay!" She smiled radiantly at him.

Wolfgang turned and was surprised to see a long line of kids waiting behind them. Squeezing himself through the line of students at the door, he examined his papers and inevitably bumped into someone. Looking up, he saw a pretty, olive skinned girl. "I'm sorry…" he picked up her books and handed them back to her.

"It's fine," she said in a thick accent. She smiled, slightly startled, and walked down to the room he'd just exited.

Wolfgang let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. He watched her until she'd entered the room, and then shook his head and looked at the schedule. _House 2, room 8._ He walked away from the administrative building to the large courtyard where several groups of students were loitering, talking to their friends, or making out. A street sign pointed to each house, and he made for House number 2. Gingerly opening the door, he looked inside and saw a vast living room, with columns supporting the ceiling. Stepping inside, he was just about to place his bag down when someone jumped from behind a pillar and screamed "Boo!" loudly.

"Gahh!" Wolfgang jumped back in surprise and yelled, more in annoyance than fear.

The boy who'd scared him chortled and pointed at him, holding his stomach as it rippled with laughter. He was tall and skinny, with tousled brown hair. He stood up straight long enough to ask " _Wie gehts_?"

Wolfgang smiled despite himself and replied, "Good. You're German. I'm from Berlin."

The boy moved closer to him and stuck out his hand, "Hallo. I'm Felix."

Wolfgang tentatively shook his hand. "I'm Wolfgang." At this, Felix started laughing again.

"Wolfgang?! But that name is so old…" he paused as he saw Wolfgang's cool glare, and quickly said, "Alright, _Wolfie_. Welcome to the Board!"

Wolfgang looked confused as Felix took his bag and dumped it onto one of the couches near a stone fireplace. "What do you mean, 'the Board'?"

"That's what everyone calls this school. So much _kuhler_ than that BPO name. What are we, a technology company?" He laughed at his bad joke and continued, "You're going to like it here, Wolfie. I mean, the food, it's awful, but you get used to all the fish." Wolfgang threw himself in a chair opposite Felix, who was lounging on an ottoman.

"It must be nice to live here during school." Wolfgang looked up at the ceiling, light shimmering from the crystal chandelier above their heads.

"Oh yes, House 2 is one of the nicest houses. I'm glad I got assigned to this one. So why are you here?"

"I don't really know," Wolfgang shuffled his feet uncomfortably; afraid they would be nearing the subject of his family. However, he continued anyway, "but they told me that I was very smart. I guess I'm lucky to even be here. I fight too much at school."

Felix nodded in approval and replied, "I don't even know why _I'm_ here… I don't know _shit_!" He laughed and swung his feet to the floor. Beckoning him to the stairs, they spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking their belongings and looking around the house.

It was some time later, when the sun was setting, that Felix turned to Wolfgang. "Hey Wolfie, do you want to go to a party?"

Wolfgang looked outside the window, "Are we allowed to?" Not that he cared much about the rules, but he did not want to mess up and be sent back home.

"Who cares? House 1 has awesome parties. And girls. And _parties_." Felix grinned, a wild light flickering in his eyes.

Wolfgang moved off his bed, smiling at his new friend as he shoved his feet into his dark boots. "Alright… let's go."

* * *

 _ **A/N** : Here's the 2nd chapter. I love Wolfgang, so of course I wanted to devote a chapter to him. But don't worry, we'll see all the characters in the next part. Just to clarify, this story will explore being a sense8. Feel free to review!_

 _~C.o.D._


	3. Chapter 3- Like Me

_Chapter 3:_

A slight reverberation could be heard coming from inside the walls of House 1 as Felix and Wolfgang made their way towards the party. The pair ran up the stairs two at a time, and Felix knocked on the door. An older boy opened it and ushered them inside, as well as the people straggling to the party late.

The layout of the house was different. While there were the same pillars and fireplace, it seemed slightly smaller, and the stairs were located in a small alcove at the corner of the room. Someone had cleverly strung lights around the columns, and they seemed to twinkle to the beat of the music. Standing at an elevated part of the room (where a dinner table would have been placed) was a makeshift stage with a large speaker and microphone. Techno was playing, and some students were already jumping up and down to the music. There were a few younger teenagers there, probably around 14 or 15 years old. Most of them, however, were in their last year of school.

 _Like me…_

Wolfgang hung back from the dance. He liked to party, but he felt odd tonight. Felix was next to him, shouting over the music and flirting with some girls. He leaned towards him and yelled loudly, "Wolfie! Why don't you talk to these nice ladies, eh?"

Wolfgang turned to the girls; they blushed and giggled as he did so. He nodded towards them and said, "Hallo." He thought they were okay-looking, but he didn't like girls like them. Back in Berlin, they'd always follow him after school, asking for his phone number or to talk to their friends. He'd flirt with them, but it never meant anything.

The girls giggled again and left, not without first tousling Felix's hair. Felix smiled but his expression changed after they were gone. "Wolfgang, what was that? Those girls were all over you, and all you say is 'hallo'? 'Hallo'?!"

Wolfgang shrugged and replied, "I'm not looking for a relationship."

Felix nodded and put his hands up as if to say _I understand,_ although he probably didn't _._ He turned and walked back to the girls, who were whispering to each other on the couch.

The room was finally starting to fill up with students, all laughing and dancing with one another to the heavy electronic beat. A girl about his age was standing on the stage, wearing blue headphones and playing music that created an atmosphere one would almost surely have compared to a rave. As such, the intensity of the room was making Wolfgang sweat, and he was just about to leave when he saw a girl swaying to the music. It was the brunette from the administration building. He made his way through the crowd, pulled by some sort of force he did not fully understand. He blinked, and she was no longer there. Turning around in confusion, he ran into a boy, who was laughing and holding a cup of soda.

"Man, this party is great. We don't have houses this big where I come from!"

Wolfgang nodded at the boy. They were about the same height and age.

"I'm Capheus!" the boy shouted over the _boom-boom-thump_ of the speaker.

"Wolfgang."

"Nice to meet you, Wolfgang!" An elegant hand tapped Capheus on the shoulder. Capheus turned, revealing a tall Korean girl with short, jet-black hair. She did not smile at Wolfgang, but rather nodded at him and spoke quietly in Capheus's ear. He laughed at whatever she said, and the girl left them, walking steadily through the crowd.

Capheus looked back at Wolfgang and said, "That's Sun. She's from Seoul, but we met at the airport. Pretty _bad-ass_." He accentuated every part of the last word, as if it would be all that was needed to describe Sun Bak. Seeing how the girl carried herself, it probably was. Capheus turned to the DJ and smiled. He seemed to be the type of person that was always optimistic, which made Wolfgang slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't that he disliked optimistic people; just that he knew he would never be the same as them. "That DJ girl is good. She's from around here."

Wolfgang nodded, trying to somehow escape the situation. "I think I should be getting back to House 2."

"Aye! House 2! I am also staying there. I will walk with you."

"It's fine. I can manage." With that, Wolfgang turned around and headed out the door into the cool, dark night.

Capheus shook his head but smiled nonetheless. That boy had a lot on his mind. Moving away from the center of the crowd, he walked towards Sun. She was hovering at the edge of the room, watching everyone else. She spoke quietly when he approached her, and he had to lean forward to hear what she was saying:

"I don't like these parties."

Capheus turned to survey the scene, a living collage of moving limbs and beating hearts. They complemented each other well, the serious girl and the carefree boy. No one would have thought that once they'd meet they would bond so easily. It was bizarre, almost as if they'd known each other all their lives…

* * *

 _ **A/N** : 3rd chapter! Next chapter we'll start to delve a little bit into the Sense8 plot, and more characters will be introduced. Feel free to review or comment!_

 _~C.o.D_


	4. Chapter 4- It's Fine

_Chapter 4:_

 _Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep!_

Kala Dandekar sat up straight in her bed, wincing at the noise from the digital alarm clock. She slapped the button a few times before the incessant beeping finally died down. Kala looked up to see if any of the other girls in her room had woken. Three of them were soundly asleep, but the fourth was already sitting on her bed, working away at the keys on her laptop. The girl turned to her and asked loudly, "Did I wake you up because of my typing?"

"No, it was my alarm clock. Didn't you hear it?" Kala untangled herself from the sheets, looking at the freckled red head.

"I can't really hear anything because I'm sleep deprived, you see, but I don't think so…" The girl smiled at Kala, although she seemed slightly on edge.

"Myra, please, just _shut up_." The muffled voice came from one of the sleeping girls.

Kala pursed her lips and grabbed her toiletry bag and her uniform from where they hung on her bedpost. Leaving the room, she shut the door quietly and strode down the hall to one of the bathrooms before someone else could enter. House 3 had ten rooms with only four bathrooms to share between them all. This was only her second day at the Board, and she did not want to make an enemy with one of the other girls in the house.

Within five minutes she was already dressed in the green skirt and white dress shirt. She grimaced at the thought of having to wear the navy blue pullovers later in the year. Someone knocked at the door and Kala smoothed down her skirt in a hurry.

Classes were held at the large Victorian-styled schoolhouse, located on the opposite side of the Administration building. Stopping at the fountain, Kala slowly reread her schedule and room numbers.

Mon-Fri:

 _Wakeup Call:_ 8 am

 _History_ : 9 am – 10 am

 _Calculus_ : 10:05 am – 11 am

 _Lunch_ : 11:05 am – 1 pm

 _English_ : 1:05 pm – 2 pm

 _Physical Education:_ 2:05 pm – 3 pm

 _Chemistry/Physics:_ 3:05 pm- 4 pm

 _Study Hall:_ 4:05 pm – 5 pm

 _Dinner_ : 5:05 pm - 6 pm

 _Lights out:_ 9:00 pm

Sat-Sun:

Wakeup Call: 9 am

Appropriate Weekend Activities

Chores appointed by House prefect

 _Lights Out_ : 10 pm

It made her head spin, thinking about all the time she would have to spend working. Stuffing the paper in her patchwork bag, Kala hurried to her first class. She had just slid into an available seat when the bell rang. The teacher standing at the desk stood up and smiled at the 30 or so teenagers in the class. She was small, but in a petite, delicate way. Something was off, however; as if the woman was in pain…

"Welcome, everyone! I am Ms. Alvira, your History teacher for the year… let's see, I was born in America, but lived in Iceland all my life, and I-"

The hour continued with Ms. Alvira telling the class about herself and the course syllabus. Kala listened intently and took precise notes for her binder. She shivered when she felt someone staring at her, but couldn't see anything odd when she turned around.

/

The hours passed quickly, with Kala learning more and more about boarding school life. For example, physical education had many different options. Kala had never been one for sports, so in the end she chose to take dance and yoga. However hard physical education might be, her science and math skills were excellent (a reason for which she'd been given a scholarship to attend the Board) and the rest of the day went by with a breeze. She found herself bubbling with excitement at the prospect of her upcoming chemistry project. At dinner, she sat with Myra and a few of the girl's eccentric friends. Another girl joined them, introducing herself as Nomi Marks.

"Hey, Nomi; you ok?" This came from the girl who'd told Myra to shut up earlier that morning. _Amanita_ , Kala remembered.

Nomi nodded, but everyone agreed that she looked slightly green. "It's fine," she replied in a husky voice, "I've just had a really shitty headache today…"

Kala walked towards House 3 later that evening, thinking about the list of homework she had. She paused at the fountain for the second time that day. This time, however, it was not to read her schedule.

Ms. Alvira was standing- her back to Kala- at the edge of the fountain, on the short, wall-like platform that surrounded it.

"Ms. Alvira… Ms… are you alright?" Kala approached the fountain, setting her bag down in case she had to help her teacher. Kala gasped when the woman turned around, showcasing the blood and bile on her blouse. She ran to the teacher, but Ms. Alvira was no longer there. Kala could hear a loud drum-like noise in her head. She turned, wondering if she was going crazy. Looking around the courtyard one last time, she fell to the ground in shock, and passed out on the cobblestone.

 ***End of Part 1***

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Oh, Kala. Here is the 4th chapter of Sense Teens. Thank you to anyone who wrote a review (I'd list your names but you were under anon/guest). I don't want to spoil the next chapter, because it's pretty much the rising action of this fic. However, I  can say that I have the rest of the series mapped out. Hope all of you have a great rest of the day. _

_~C.o.D._


	5. Chapter 5- How do you Escape an Island?

_Chapter 5:_

Bright light shattered the darkness, and Kala struggled to make her way out. She slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the glare of the sun's rays coming through a nearby window. Struggling to an upright position on the bed, she gazed around the room. Everything was a shade of blue, except for the white walls. The room was very small, and housed nothing except the bed, a chair, a mirror, and a small nightstand with a pitcher of water. Kala reached with shaking fingers to the cup, grateful to whomever had placed it there for her. Looking at the room again, she realized that she was most likely in the infirmary. The previous day's events came back to mind, and, shuddering, she set down the cup again.

A knock came at the door, disrupting Kala's thoughts. Unsure what to say, she hesitantly asked, "Yes…?"

An older woman came in, carrying a tray of food and medicine. She smiled at Kala and set it down on the nightstand, then moved to the other side to sit in the armchair. "Well, Miss Dandekar, it looks like you had a nasty fainting spell," the woman took Kala's arm, checking her blood pressure, "but we got you here on time. You've only been out since last night, if you're wondering."

"What about classes?"

"Well, we can't let you walk around with a concussion. But I assume you'll be ready to go back tomorrow."

Kala breathed out a sigh and felt a sharp pain on the side of her head. Reaching up, she gingerly touched her temple, only to be met with the feeling of gauze and bandages. The nurse carried on talking while getting the medicine ready and pouring a new glass of water, "You know; it's really bizarre. You're the eighth student we had to see because of fainting, but your case was the worst. I'm telling you; it must be the jetlag."

Kala felt strange when the woman said this. _It's nothing_ , she thought to herself, _simply sick teenagers. It's a coincidence, that's all_. The nurse left her after a few minutes.

Kala flipped over the thin sheets, and slowly moved her feet to the ground. Her toes curled at the feeling of cold tiles, but she finally stood after a few seconds. A feeling of dizziness surrounded her head, and she heard the blood rush in her ears. Steadying herself with one hand on the bedpost, she slowly walked to the floor-length mirror.

Kala was in awe at the sight of the gash on her head as she removed the bandage, "Oh, no…" She tilted her head to comb through her dark curls with her fingers. Looking back at the mirror she gasped, seeing the reflection of a boy. She turned and there he was, his blond hair shining in the sun. Kala covered her mouth, realizing that she was no longer in her room, but in a boys bathroom. The boy was still in front of her. "Oh, Ganesha! Are you real?"

"My name is Wolfgang; of course I'm-" he was cut off when the nurse came in, and when she looked back, Kala realized he was no longer there.

"Miss Dandekar! You should be resting." The nurse rushed over to help Kala to her bed.

"Did you see him? He was right there!"

"Don't worry, you'll be better soon. Just get some sleep. I brought your schoolwork to keep you busy if you need it. All right?" The woman smoothed down the sheets on the bed and left again. Kala closed her eyes and folded her hands together. She prayed until she slowly fell asleep again, hoping it had all been a dream.

/

Will Gorski turned the page in the book he was reading. He'd been having awful visions, and had finally gone to the infirmary, only to faint when he'd gotten there. Luckily, they'd let him go back to his house and miss classes for the day.

Will, like some other students, had also received a scholarship to the Board. His father had been surprised, but said that the travel would be good to get rid of Will's "delinquent" side. It had been three days, and he still hadn't made any friends…

Will was broken out of his train of thought when he heard a whispered conversation in the hall. Putting away his copy of _Crime and Punishment_ , he slowly made his way to the door. Opening it a crack, he could see two prefects down the hall. He knew the name of one of them, Rajan. The other was a boy Will didn't know. He turned his ear so he could hear them better.

"I know it, ok? I heard them. One of the teachers is missing. She disappeared last night."

"Strange, but I'm sure it happens. I wouldn't want to teach a bunch of kids either."

Rajan shook his head and walked past Will's room. Will flattened against the wall, wondering what it was he'd just heard. He let out a breath as he heard the other prefect leave as well. Was it true? Had a teacher really disappeared overnight? And why?

Turning to go out of the room, he jumped back in surprise when he saw a girl looking at him through the crack. He threw open the door, but no one was standing there. "I'm going insane…" He closed his eyes and rubbed them aggressively. Opening them again, he saw that he was no longer in the dorm, but in a room with artwork leaning against the pink walls. A woman with piercing blue eyes was looking at him, and he opened his mouth to yell. She stooped down, quick as a hawk, and clasped her hand over his mouth.

"I'm real. You need to calm down. Okay? Do as I say." She slowly removed her hand from his mouth, and he struggled into a seat in the room.

Will shook his head vigorously and muttered repeatedly, "This is it, and I'm going crazy; I'm going crazy…"

"William. Shut up, and listen to me."

Will looked up at her as if he'd been slapped. "How do you know my name?"

"I know this is all happening very fast," the woman sat down in a chair opposite his, "but I must hurry. They will find out that you're like me. A sensate."

"A what?"

"The teacher that went missing at your school. She was one of us. We can _connect_ Will. We can talk to each other even when we're on opposite sides of the globe."

Will suddenly recognized her. "You're from the airport… I saw you there when I landed. You live near here, don't you?"

The woman nodded and replied, "Yes. I'm Irsa. And the only way that you can contact a sensate from another cluster is by looking at them. I urge you, please be careful at your school! Show no signs of having these visions. There are people that want to hurt us."

Will shook his head disbelievingly, "I still think I've gone crazy, but couldn't I just get away from the Board?"

Irsa laughed dryly and stood up, ready to leave. "No one runs away from a boarding school. Your father wouldn't believe you. Yes, I know," she said, recognizing the amazement in Will's face, "I can access your thoughts and emotions. Remember to be careful! I will visit you again soon. "

The vision slowly started to fade, but not before Will heard a ghostly whisper ask, "How do you escape an island…?"

Back in his room, Will leaned against the wall and grabbed his head in his shaking hands. There was a knock at the door, and Rajan entered. The prefect looked at him worryingly, and whispered quietly, "I didn't know you were here. Are you alright, William?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just the jetlag, you know?" Will laughed weakly and got up with Rajan's help. "Um, you know, I think I'm going to go take a walk."

Rajan gestured towards the door and smiled, "Go ahead. I won't stop you."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Chapter 5, up! I've decided I will post every three days so that it gives me more time to write (which produces longer and better quality chapters). It's a win-win for everyone. As for a note on this chapter: it was super exciting to write. The teens are finally going through the change, and we'll be able to see next chapter how each character copes with becoming a sensate. Thank you for reading, have a wonderful rest of the day!_

 _~C.o.D_


	6. Chapter 6- Am I Going Mad?

_Chapter 6:_

Riley stood in House 1's library; where she had been about to pick up a book until she'd suddenly found herself in a corridor, looking at a sandy-haired boy. Her heart had felt a slight, inexplicable squeeze at the sight of him, and then the vision had vanished abruptly, like turning off the tap on fast-running water.

That was two visions in less than 24 hours. Even when she was high, Riley never experienced such vivid hallucinations.

Grabbing whatever book she could find, she sank into a leather armchair, swinging her legs onto an ottoman. The book was one of mythology, and the first page she turned to was a chapter on the Phoenix.

Something about this mystical creature attracted her, and she'd finished the story by the time her Housemates had returned, much to her own surprise.

"Hey, how's it going?" A girl slid onto the couch left of her, peering at the cover sideways. "Oooh, mythology. I love it." The girl widened her eyes and flashed a smile that would dazzle anyone within a five-mile radius.

Riley closed her book and set it on the coffee table besides her. "Hey Daniela, how are you?"

Daniela Velasquez was one of the richer girls at House 1. Right away she'd seemed to cling on to Riley, noticing how musically talented and mellow she was. Some students gossiped that it was because Daniela's family had bought her an acceptance to the Board, so she tried to hang out with the smart kids to give off a certain appearance. Still, she was nice to Riley…

The girl looked at her smart phone, then back at Riley as if remembering that she existed. "Oh! My day was good. Oh my God, did you know that seven other people actually _fainted_? Must be some illness going around." At the thought, she slightly scooted away from Riley, and gave a small grimace that said ' _sorry_.'

Riley wrapped her arms around her legs. "How were lessons? I feel like I missed a lot."

"Not much for the second day of actual classes. And trust me, I've been going here since my freshman year. You don't learn until the third week of school. August just started, so a lot of people slack off because it's still summer."

Riley smiled and whispered, "Right. I almost forgot. My birthday is in three days."

Daniela squeaked in excitement at this bit of news, and quickly moved back to the side of the couch. "Hey, tell me the date so that I can write it in my phone."

"August 8th. It's this Saturday."

Tapping away at her phone's calendar, she energetically replied, "Oh, you'll see, I'm going to throw you the best party _ever_. With cake and cute guys. I'll go call some people really quick. Good night!" With that, Daniela dashed up the stairs, forgetting that dinner was being served.

Many girls ate dinner at the dining hall after classes. However, someone always found time to cook extra at home in case they were ever hungry. Sliding herself into one of the high backed chairs on the dining platform, Riley ladled herself some vegetable soup. Only a few girls were eating, and the dining room was silent besides the occasional clink of silverware. As Riley took the time to contemplate, she saw a new figure appear in her peripheral vision, one that hadn't been sitting there before. She didn't scream of her own volition, but slowly turned her head to the left. The same boy was there again, but he looked healthier now than before. Without even realizing it, she whispered his name, "Will…"

His gaze held intently on her face, and then he asked, "Riley?"

"Am I going mad?"

Will shook his head as if to say he didn't know. All he knew was her name. He didn't understand what was going on anymore, or if he should listen to Irsa's warning and tell this girl of the dangers. Letting himself flow away from the scene, Will found himself back on the park bench behind the schoolhouse, the taste of vegetable soup in his mouth.

Riley turned back to the girls at the other end of the dining table, all of whom were staring at her as if she'd indeed gone mad. She shrugged as if that would settle it, and everyone returned to their meal.

/

Meanwhile, Sun Bak was in her room practicing her kickboxing skills. Much to her roommates' dismays, she had tethered a large burlap sack to one of the ceiling rafters, creating a sort of makeshift punching bag. None of them were home yet, and she assumed they were purposefully avoiding the room. It was less about Sun's scary hobby, and more about her intimidating personality. As she practiced her side kick, she saw Capheus jump out from behind the bag so as not to be hurt. Sun tilted her head, her expression confused, and stopped.

"Capheus? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know, Sun. One minute I was in my room, and the next, I am here."

Sun narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, ok. This is just another vision of mine. I fainted again, right?" She continued the kicks, and, in a moment of split decision, Capheus jumped in front of the punching bag. He groaned and fell back on the floorboards as Sun landed a kick directly in his solar plexus.

Sun, realizing that what she had hit felt oddly too real to be false, walked over to investigate.

Looking up at her, Capheus saw only a blur, but heard her say in a somewhat amused but doubtful tone, "So you _are_ real?"

Capheus wheezed as he tried to laugh, and said, "I told you, spirit of Van Damme."

Reaching down to help him stand, she saw that what had once been her bedroom was now his. There were posters of cars and engines near what she assumed was his bed. Sun gasped, closing her eyes and covering her throat protectively at the sudden change. Blinking, she was back in her own room, Capheus nowhere to be seen.

Taking off her gloves and throwing them on her bed angrily, she lifted the mattress and took out a small tin box. Inside were a few cigarettes and a lighter she'd snuck into the Board. Letting the mattress fall back into place, Sun left her room and walked up the stairs to the third floor.

The third floor was mostly used as storage for old, abandoned furniture. There were only one or two bathrooms; everything else was an open studio space. A set of double doors on the house's east side led out to a small, ornate balcony, with wrought iron serving as the handrail.

Sun sat cross-legged on the cold floor, lighting one of the cigarettes and rubbing her temple. Turning around, she saw a handsome dark haired boy blinking his eyes rapidly in astonishment. He looked over at her for the first time and almost jumped. At this point, she wasn't even surprised. She'd come to terms with the fact that she no longer had control over anything that happened in her imagination. That perhaps she'd gone insane from loneliness, and her mind was making up for it.

" _Joesonghamnida,"_ she said to the boy, letting out a puff of smoke into the cold night air.

"No, no, no; why are you sorry?" he spoke in a pleasant Spanish lilt, his brow furrowed at the sight of the girl.

Sun laughed cynically, "All you hallucinations. Can't tell if you're real or not. So I'll pretend you are not real. Is it a punishment because I left my father and brother? Hmm?"

"No, I'm real, I swear. My name is Lito Rodriguez. I'm from Mexico City. Are _you_ real?"

Shaking her head, Sun put out the cigarette and flicked it over the side of the building. "Too many damn hallucinations," she muttered, and left Lito on the balcony to stare up at the dark, starry sky.

Back in her dorm room, Sun began to work at the punching bag again, the hits and kicks becoming a relentless beat until her hands were calloused and red, the skin on the knuckles peeling away. What had she done to deserve these relentless voices in her head? She would have to speak to Capheus tomorrow during school, tell him what it was that had happened. He would probably laugh and reassure her that it had simply been a dream. Looking down at her shaking hands, Sun wondered how a dream could hurt so much.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I love writing about the interactions between each of these characters. Next chapter coming on the 9th. Review if you wish, and have a wonderful rest of the day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	7. Chapter 7- Here, With You

_Chapter 7: (August 6)_

The next day was just as bizarre as the previous one for the eight sensates. Kala, much to her dismay, was told that she would have to stay at the infirmary until noon due to her acute concussion. She was extremely bored, having finished all of her homework for the past two days. She spent the hours sleeping or leaning against the headboard of her bed to look through the window. Sometimes a lean sillouette would present itself in her peripheral vision. She assumed it was the blond boy. _Next time he comes_ , she thought, _I'll tell him what I think of him watching me._ Kala mentally scolded herself afterwards for thinking that these hallucinations were real.

"Father would be ashamed," she said, picking at the cotton covers with her slender fingers.

"Why do you care what your father thinks of you?" It was a recognizable German accent that spoke aloud in the quiet room.

Kala was startled and looked up quickly. The blond boy- _Wolfgang_ , she remembered- was in the corner of the room. He moved away from the wall, and sauntered over to sit in the armchair. They watched each other for a few seconds, although to the both of them it felt like a lifetime. Kala refused to look away, but when he moved to touch the bandage on her head, she flinched in surprise. His eyes darkened and he moved back to the armchair.

"Are you scared?" he asked pensively.

Kala shook her head, hesitating to talk. Finally, she said, "I don't know if you're real, or if the gods have sent some…pervert demon to watch me, for whatever reason."

Wolfgang smiled and the tension in the room vanished. "Me? A 'pervert demon'?"

Kala nodded matter-of-factly, and pulled the sheets up discreetly to her waist to hide the fact that she was dressed in her pajamas. Meanwhile, Wolfgang leaned back in the armchair, looking around the room slowly to take in every small detail.

"Why do you always come here?" Kala asked, suddenly wanting to hear his side of the story.

Wolfgang shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I always seem to find myself here, with you. It's passing period right now."

Kala watched the boy as he turned his head to the window. He was fairly good looking, with a strong jaw and a burning intensity in his gaze. She realized he was watching her look at him, and she blushed slightly. Trying to distract him from this, she made a small remark: "I think I remember you from the first day of school."

Wolfgang nodded slowly, his best effort at appearing nonchalant. It didn't work, however, and Kala could tell that he was pleased she'd remembered him.

"So what is India like?" Wolfgang asked, curious to know more about this girl he was so connected to.

She raised her dark eyebrows in surprise and looked up at the ceiling as if recalling something to memory. "Oh. Well, it's hot. Very hot. And it's really crowded." She laughed, and the sound made Wolfgang smile. She continued, looking over at him every once in a while. "In the morning I get up for _puja._ It's worship to Lord Surya, the Sun God. Flowers are very important for this, and for our culture. Cinema is important too. I used to go with Auntie every Friday…" Kala trailed off slowly, wondering if she should ask him about Germany. She felt something strange when she reached into his emotions about his birthplace. It was intense and hateful. She decided it was better not to ask.

"I have to go," Wolfgang sighed. As Kala blinked, he disappeared.

"Miss Dandekar?" The nurse knocked at the door and opened it after a few seconds. She smiled, dropping off Kala's uniform. "Here, we cleaned them up for you. We're releasing you now."

Kala smiled and said a quiet thank you, waiting until the nurse left to dress in the outfit. She looked around quickly, paranoid that Wolfgang was watching her.

A few minutes later and Kala was rushing outside, breathing fresh air for the first time in days.

/

"Riley! Come here, quick!" Daniela reached out to Riley as she stepped out of her English class, and drew her to the opposite side of the hallway. Riley looked at the girl, slightly shocked.

"What's wrong, what happened?"

"Nothing, silly. I just wanted to show you the invitations for your birthday party."

"Invitations? That's a bit much, no?" Riley bit her lip and looked doubtfully at the envelopes and cream stock paper decorated in glitter and extravagant cursive.

Daniela rolled her eyes and stuffed the invitations back in her expensive handbag. "Well _obviously_. Your birthday is special! You're turning eighteen. That definitely requires this planning. I mean, I could have done more if I'd had extra time, like maybe a week or two-" Daniela prattled on about the lack of organization, as well as whether or not the guests should be required to bring dates. Riley, however, was not paying attention. She caught sight of a dark haired girl, turning around in what appeared to be surprised joy. People passed in front of the girl, and the next moment she was gone. Riley wondered if the brunette was like Will, too. She felt other people in her head sometimes.

Daniela snapped her fingers in front of Riley's face. "Hey, earth to Riley. Did you hear anything of what I just said?"

Riley nodded absently and said, "Sure, sure… I think I'm going to leave the building for lunch. See you at dinner." Riley hurried down the stone steps, moving into the grand hall near the double doors that were propped open for students. People streamed in and out of the school, and it took her a few minutes before she could make it out of the entrance and onto the stone steps.

The weather was nice (when compared to Icelandic standards) and some students were enjoying the day by picnicking on the school's lawn. Riley went to sit under the shade of a tree, taking out her familiar blue headphones. Scrolling through her mp3 player, she found a song and closed her eyes, willing one of "them" to appear.

 _When we were young, the future was so bright/ The old neighborhood was so alive/ And every kid on the whole damn street/ Was gonna make it big and not be beat…_

Riley smiled as she felt someone settle in next to her. She hoped it was Will, but she also wanted to meet one of the other ones. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked sideways and saw a girl with light brown hair and glasses murmuring the lyrics to the song.

The girl stopped singing and smiled, saying, "I'm Nomi."

Riley waved and replied with her own name. Her mind pulled towards Nomi's, and she found herself in a classroom, where a balding history teacher was giving a lecture. Sitting in an empty desk, she looked around the room, almost laughing at the dozens of students that were clueless as to what was happening. But what _was_ happening? Why was it that she could connect with Nomi, Will, and who knew how many others? Her mind stopped wandering as she felt a sudden emotion from Nomi. It was as if she was uncomfortable. Looking at the girl, she saw a boy behind her, poking her back with a pencil. The boy leaned next to Nomi's ear and made an obscene remark about her. Riley felt anger boiling up inside her, but she wasn't sure if it was hers or someone else's. Her question was answered when another girl joined them in an instant. _Sun._ Grabbing the pencil, she turned around and nearly shoved it into the boy's throat, threatening him.

"Leave her alone. Or else…" Her eyes flickered to the sharp end of the pencil.

The boy paled significantly and held up his hands in surrender. Of course, he'd only seen Nomi. Sun vanished, and Riley found herself back underneath the tree, the cool air refreshing compared to the stuffy classroom. The song continued in her headphones, and she leaned back to take in the dark green foliage above.

/

"There you are, I have to talk to you!" The voice belonged to a worried Capheus, who strode across the courtyard to Sun. She sat still near the fountain, and as he approached her, they both felt a surge of emotions at the connection. The closeness was almost unbearable due to the intensity of it all. He gently put his messenger bag down, and sat next to her.

"So I wasn't dreaming… It's a shame. Being delusional would have made so much more sense…" Sun blinked once, slowly, and found herself just a foot away from where she'd been sitting before.

Cahpheus smiled as usual, although it seemed different today: it was forced. "Do not worry," he said encouragingly, "it's like a gift from God."

"God can take his gift. I don't want it," she replied coolly, taking up her bag to walk to the school. Capheus scrambled after her, trying his best to convince her of what was happening.

"Yes, I can hear the voices too. But that doesn't mean that we are crazy. This is enough proof! I knew you before the change, and I know you now. There is nothing wrong with us, is there? Look." He stepped in front of Sun, forcing her to stop. Holding out his arms, he moved them up and down, and then turned in a circle to display himself. "See?" he whispered, "Nothing wrong. I'm still Capheus. You are _still_ Sun." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, trying to make her laugh. He got a small half-smile out of her, which for Sun was pretty good.

"Alright!" He clapped his hands in excitement and they walked together towards the schoolhouse, a feeling of ease resting upon the both of them.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sense8 at Comic-Con today, unless I'm mistaken or you're in a different time zone. Who knows what will happen? Here's Chapter 7. Almost to chapter 10! Thank you for all the wonderful and constructive reviews. Have a nice day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	8. Chapter 8- An Invitation

_Chapter 8: (August 7)_

The air at the Board was alive with excitement for the first weekend, and many of the underclassmen met up as school let out that Friday. Plans were made, hugs exchanged, and everyone left for their Houses.

Dropping off her bag in her room, Kala decided to enjoy the lovely streak of weather they'd had recently. Grabbing a blanket from a hallway closet, she ran down the stairs and into the backyard.

The back of House 3 was well landscaped, with the view of the mountains surrounding them. A small grove of trees and flower bushes separated her House from House 4. In the clearing up ahead was a small pond. With her blanket tucked under her arm, Kala stopped a few feet from the clearing, so that she was partially in the tree's shade and the field's open sunshine.

Lying on the dewy grass, she looked up at the faded sun. The weather on the island was so much drearier than in Mumbai. There at least she could feel the heat as it beat down on her, but here…

Kala raised her arms up and turned each side to face the sun. Nothing. She exhaled and turned over on her side, coming face to face with Wolfgang.

"You," she gasped in astonishment.

Wolfgang smirked. "Me." His head was resting on his dark, leather jacket, like a makeshift pillow.

"You just won't leave me alone." She slowly sat up, and he followed suit.

"Trust me, I try not to think of you. But every time, it brings me straight to you." He felt a slight pang in his chest as he saw her expression turn sad. He realized that it was actually her emotion. Or perhaps it belonged to the both of them. All he knew was that he wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he held himself back and smiled half-heartedly instead.

"Where are you right now?" She asked this while looking down at the ground, her dark eyes occasionally flitting up to meet his light ones.

"Come see for yourself, if you like."

The scene changed, and she was sitting on the floor of his room in House 2. No one else was around, and there was a movie playing on the laptop in front of her.

"What is it?" she asked him, both intrigued and disgusted by the fighting on the screen.

"It's Conan the Barbarian."

Kala looked at him blankly, waiting for him to explain.

"No… don't tell me you've never watched it?"

Kala just shrugged delicately and looked at the movie, which suddenly changed to a different film starring a kickboxing man.

They both stared at the screen, confused as to what was happening. Looking up, they saw that they were in the school's dining hall. In between them was a boy watching a movie on his computer. Wolfgang recognized him immediately.

"You're Capheus. I remember you from the party the first day."

Capheus jumped at the voice, and noticed that he was sitting between two people that had not been there before. Instead of being frightened, however, Kala felt his elation. He took out his earplugs and smiled radiantly.

"I knew there were more of you! I could tell that it wasn't just me and Sun." He turned to Kala and his expression changed to delighted surprise. "You are very beautiful," he said.

Kala smiled at the compliment, but didn't miss the annoyed tick in Wolfgang's jaw at this statement. They sat in quiet company for a while, enjoying the movie. Kala suddenly snapped out of Capheus's surroundings as someone back in her area moved towards her. She was facing Wolfgang, who had followed her back to the clearing, but it wasn't him moving.

"Who's that?" he asked, looking at someone over Kala's shoulder.

She sat upright and Wolfgang was gone. Coming towards her was Rajan, one of the House prefects.

Kala had met Rajan that day in chemistry, where they'd been partnered up for a project. She stood and grabbed the blanket, folding it as he moved towards her quickly. He loved science as well, and had offered to help her catch up with the curriculum. She had an inkling of a feeling he liked her…

"Hi Kala." He nodded at her and she did the same. They stared at the ground awkwardly until Kala broke the silence.

"So, what did you need?"

Rajan raised his eyebrows and said, "You wanted to meet me at half past six to study, and, well, it's seven." He looked down at his watch as if to make sure, and then looked back up with a smile.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Rajan, I…" She bit down on her tongue so that she wouldn't say she'd forgotten, which she had.

"It's _fine,_ Kala. Really. I brought my notes, but we should probably head inside. It looks like it might rain soon."

Kala gazed up at the quickly darkening sky and nodded in agreement. Taking one last glance at the clearing where Wolfgang had been, she headed back inside.

As Kala cleared up the kitchen counter and laid out her study materials, Rajan came up to her with what appeared to be mail in his hands. "Here, it's for you. I think. I found it next to the door."

"Me? I'm not expecting anything." Kala sat on the bar stool and swiveled around as she opened the stuffed envelope with a butter knife. She almost jumped in surprise when glitter spewed out of it, raining down onto her skirt in shimmering colors. "What… it's an invitation." She handed it to Rajan, who read aloud:

" _Dear House 3 members: You are invited to Riley Gunnarsdottir's_ _18_ _th_ _birthday party tomorrow. House 1 at 8:00 p.m. Please dress appropriately_." Rajan's dark eyes lit up in amusement, and he laughed, handing the invitation back to her.

"I don't even know this… Riley _Gunnarsdottir_. And we have the same birthday," Kala admitted, brushing the glitter off of her legs.

Rajan shrugged lightly and sat in the stool next to her, flipping to a page in his chemistry book. "Well, it's not unusual to invite everyone from the Houses. The campus isn't that big. Who knows? Maybe you'll make some friends. Now, about that Bohr model…"

/

Wolfgang sighed and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes fixed on the off white paint. He was brooding about the boy he'd seen at Kala's House. Did she have a boyfriend? No, that couldn't possibly be it. He'd felt her emotions when she'd seen Rajan. Surprised, but slightly disappointed. He lifted himself off of the ground and moved to the desk in the corner of the room, dumping his textbooks on it. He had a sudden urge to do homework, which was quite rare. However, just as he'd started on a rather difficult calculus problem, Felix dashed into the room and threw himself on the bunk bed nearest to Wolfgang.

"Wolfie!" he said, nearly out of breath. "We have another _party_!"

Wolfgang grabbed the letter, addressed to all of House 2's students. "Who is this girl?"

"Some chick, man. But House 1! And on a Saturday! This is going to be great. Unless you want to go to the beach like a lot of the other people." Felix crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

Wolfgang tapped the end of his pencil on the desk in a staccato rhythm. His mind wandered again towards Kala. Perhaps she'd be there?

"Ok… I'll go. Just one question."

Felix nodded eagerly, "What?"

"How do we 'dress appropriately?'"

/

Riley was brushing her teeth when she felt a familiar presence in the girl's bathroom. Rinsing her mouth with water, she turned around to face Will. He was leaning against the tiled wall, humming some sort of tune. He turned to her and smiled, slowly holding out his hand. She took it, still in awe about these strange, sudden meetings. They let go of each other and Will frowned, obviously worried about something.

"What is it?" Riley asked, stepping closer to him.

"I know we've only met a couple of times, but I needed to talk to you about this connection."

Riley wondered what "connection" he meant.

Will's cheeks flushed a dark red as he realized how that had probably sounded. "What I mean to say is, that day we first met, I visited someone else. Her name was Irsa. She told me about people like us… people called 'sensates.' We can connect with others, even if they're really far away. But it's dangerous. There are people that want to hurt us."

Riley shook her head. This news was too somber to receive all in one night. "I know some of the others. I've seen them," she said quietly. At Will's confused look, Riley drew him out of the bathroom and down the hall to her room, hoping none of her roommates were there. Closing the door quietly behind him, she sat down at a desk and pulled out a notepad and a pen.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, moving to look over her shoulder.

Riley held up a finger as if trying to concentrate. She drew long ovals across the paper, each next to each other. Then she drew a larger one above, where all the lines from the tops of the smaller ovals met. Will realized what she was doing as she started to write down names in the small circles.

 _Sun. Nomi. Will. Riley._

It was a family tree. Will smiled and looked at the remaining empty circles.

"I wonder who the rest are?" Riley mused, doodling on the side of the paper now that she had filled out everything she knew.

Will sat down on Riley's bed, looking out the window as rain spattered the glass in a soothing tempo. It was not long before he'd released the connection to fall asleep, once again in his own room.

* * *

 _ **A/N** : Chapter 8. I've decided to write the date next to each chapter, just so it's easier to keep in mind. I can't believe we still haven't gotten news of a Sense8 Season 2 renewal. Anyways, hope all of you enjoy this chapter. Have a SUPER awesome day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	9. Chapter 9- Happy Birthday

_Chapter 9: (August 8)_

Riley woke from her slumber due to the vigorous shaking of her shoulders. Opening her eyes in alarm, she was relieved to see it was only Daniela, looking down at her with a huge grin.

"Happy birthday, Riley!" the girl said excitedly, standing up so that Riley could move her bed sheets freely.

"Thank you," Riley replied, looking around the room. None of her other dorm mates were there, and all the bunk beds were neatly made. "But where is everyone?"

Daniela rolled her eyes and sighed. "They all wanted to go to the beach or something. But it's colder today; I don't know why anyone would go. They'll get bored eventually and come back in time for your _party_!" She emphasized the last word while doing a small, enthusiastic dance.

Riley swung her feet off the bed and moved to the dresser, throwing on an old sweater and leather jeans. Daniela stopped mid dance and stood gaping at the sweater.

"Oh no you don't. You're eighteen today! You are totally _not_ dressing like a _vagabundo_."

Riley ignored what she assumed was an insult, and shook her hair in front of the mirror, trying to tame the brown locks with her fingers. Turning around, she saw that Daniela had an amused look in her eyes.

"I know that look… what are you planning?" Riley edged away from her slowly.

Daniela moved close enough to Riley to touch her hair. "I promise not to change your wardrobe if you let me do a little something with your hair…"

Riley, knowing there was no other way out of the situation, sighed in defeat and said, "Fine."

Daniela clapped in excitement and took Riley's hand, leading her to the bathroom down the hall.

/

"Psst; hey!" A voice called from across the dining room. None of the other House 4 boys were there, many of them having gone into town or down to the beach. Lito looked up from his breakfast of coffee and jam toast to see a boy slowly tip toeing his way to the table. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Lito anxiously gestured to the kitchen, hoping to avoid an awkward encounter if one of the other students decided to come back early.

Lito and Hernando had met the first day of school, when Lito had been gazing in awe at the wonderful paintings and tapestries hanging on the wall. Hernando had walked over and introduced himself. They both spoke Spanish, and had learned they were from the same city. Hernando had spoken about the art, as he was well versed in it, and Lito had… well, he wasn't sure what _had_ happened.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Lito glanced at the boy and lied. He'd always been good at that. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. What did you want to talk about?"

Hernando sighed and looked up at the ceiling, almost as if in prayer. It was a few seconds before he looked down again and asked, "What do you think about going to that birthday party tonight at House 1?"

"We can go, Hernando, but we have to go separately." Lito winced at how harsh the words sounded, not sure what he was implying. He'd told himself all these years that _this_ wasn't possible. And in one week the boy had stepped in and changed all of that.

Hernando shrugged casually, and smiled. "No big deal. Maybe we'll see each other there and actually talk." Hernando turned and walked out of the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair.

/

It was a quarter till eight when Kala heard her cellphone buzzing from its place on the nightstand. Setting her hairbrush down, she stepped away from the mirror and reached over, unlocking the phone and putting the caller on speaker. "Hello, who is this?" she asked, trying to choose between a short white dress and a longer, blue skirt. The beautiful thing about the weekend was that she could wear whatever she wanted.

"Kala? Hello, this is Rajan."

Kala froze in front of the mirror, her eyes large in surprise. "Hello, Rajan. Did you have a question about the project?" she called to the phone, hoping he'd hear how busy she was by the tone of her voice.

Her hopes were crushed when he continued, "Well, I do have a question, but it was more of a proposition. Would you care to go to the party with me? You know, the one from that invitation."

Myra, who was sitting on her bed and "reading," looked up at Kala and gave her thumbs up, nodding enthusiastically. Everyone thought they would make the perfect couple.

Kala slipped on the dress and replied, "Sure, Rajan. Do you want to meet there, or…?"

"Well actually I'm already outside your House."

"Okay. I'll see you in five minutes." She hung up the phone quickly, hoping that he didn't, God forbid; ask her to marry him then and there. Turning to Myra, she pointed to the doorway.

"Yeah, hold on, I'm coming. I just need to finish this paragraph."

Myra dog leafed the page, and combed through her short, red hair. "I can't _believe_ you didn't tell me it was your birthday until an hour ago."

The girls walked down the stairs and onto the porch, where Rajan was waiting in a polo shirt and slacks. He looked at Kala and his eyes lit up at the sight of her.

"There you are." He greeted Myra as well with a friendly hello in her direction, and together they walked towards House 1.

A bubbly girl opened the door for them. She was wearing a small black and white party hat, and her long brown hair was tied up in an elegant chignon.

"Hey guys. Come in, come in!" She gestured them inside, taking their jackets and throwing them on an armchair in the corner of the entrance hall. They walked into the living room, where loud music was playing, and dozens of people were dancing to the beat. Myra melted away into the crowd, moving towards the stage that was once again arranged for a party. Kala turned to the girl and asked, "Are you Riley?"

The girl laughed and fanned herself, her silver-polished nails gleaming in the darkness of the House. "Of course not, I'm Daniela. I planned the party for Riley. I need to go find her, actually." She dashed up the stairs to the second floor, where some teenagers were laughing and waving down to everyone below them. Kala walked back to Rajan's side and they started swaying to the music together.

Meanwhile, Daniela walked up to Riley's room. Opening the door slowly, she saw Riley standing at an open window, wearing a simple black dress.

"Riley…come on. It looks fine! I promise. I wouldn't say so if it didn't. Trust me."

Riley turned and smiled slightly, tugging at her hair self-consciously. She took Daniela's outstretched hand, and together they walked out of the room and down the stairs. Riley paused to survey the exciting scene. "Thank you so much, Daniela. This is really great."

Daniela smiled and looked at the jewelry adorning her arms. "You're welcome, but no party is complete without a speech from the birthday girl! I planned it for near the end, ok? Around nine."

Daniela ignored the other girl's protests and waltzed down the remaining steps. Walking towards the dining room, she recognized a boy from her English class.

"Lito!" she yelled over the music, quickly moving to his side. "Oh my god, _you_ just look _awesome_ today! Do you like the party? I planned it all by myself."

Lito grimaced slightly when he heard the girl, but turned around and smiled charmingly. "Hi, Dani. I love the party, it's really great!" He clasped her hands in his, moving them up and down like a handshake.

"Do you want to dance? You seem so nervous," Daniela teased, taking his hand and pulling him back to the vast living room.

Lito put on the best expression of enthusiasm he could conjure, and allowed himself to be brought back to the action of the party.

Kala, on the opposite side of the room, suddenly felt very uncomfortable and nervous. She pulled at her dress, and Rajan stopped dancing.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, looking puzzled at the flush on her face.

"I'm okay. The room is just very hot. Maybe I should go outside for a little bit."

"It's a quarter till nine. If you want, we can wish a happy birthday to the girl and leave. Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

Kala waved off his worry. "I'll be fine." She left him and moved to the back door, sliding it open and stepping out into the refreshing night air.

Rajan moved towards Myra, who was standing near the center of the crowd. She looked up at him in confusion. "Where's Kala?" she asked, gazing around the room.

"She just stepped outside. She seems to have something on her mind."

"Oh, yeah that's probably it," Myra tilted her head and noted. "That girl's been acting strange all night."

/

Wolfgang and Kala met for the first time after being reborn at the party. He'd seen her walk from the house to the back garden, overlooking the rolling hills and the twilit sky.

Following her, Wolfgang took in just how breathtakingly beautiful she was to look at. _How could a dream hurt so much?_ Those were Sun's thoughts flowing through his, just as the others flowed through him. He paused a few feet away from her, not sure if he should speak. She turned, and caught her breath at the sight of the boy dressed all in black. As the connection took place, she could see herself through him, feel his emotions. Kala sat suddenly on the bench, looking down at her hands. Wolfgang walked closer, until they were just arm's length away from one another. He saw her close her eyes, and then open them slowly. She stood up and they watched each other, as they had done so often in the infirmary.

"Happy birthday," she murmured.

"The same to you," he replied. There was some intense emotion there, in his eyes. However, his voice revealed nothing. He lifted his hand to tuck a strand of her hair, but the sound of the door sliding open startled them both. Kala quickly moved away from him, looking down at the ground guiltily. Rajan stepped onto the back porch, oblivious to what had just transpired, and waved towards her.

"Kala, are you coming? The party is almost over."

Kala glanced one more time at Wolfgang, and then quickly moved towards the House.

Wolfgang dropped his outstretched hand to his side, and stood frozen in the same spot. Looking up at the stars, he cursed the gleaming objects for all of the bad luck in his life.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Still no announcement about Sense8 season 2. I really can't wait, but, in the meantime, here is another chapter of Sense Teens. Chapter 10 is going to be even more exciting! Happy Reading, and have an awesome day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	10. Chapter 10- Eighteen, Eight Teens

_Chapter 10: (August 8)_

Riley stepped onto the dining platform, cheers surrounding her. The occasional wolf whistle could be heard, and she shifted uncomfortably in her shoes. Daniela took a microphone from a stand and started talking into it, laughing, and making jokes. Riley, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention at all to the crowd. Another persons's presence could be felt there, and she saw him in front of her.

"Will. Are you close?" she asked.

"I am. I'm here, at the party. I like your hair," he added jokingly, inspecting the white and blue mess that was Daniela's experiment. Will stepped away, and the vision melted. His presence still lingered, however. Riley turned and saw him- the real him- leaning against the wall, smiling up at her. She grinned, and urged him to step up and share the stage. He held up his hands and waved off the proposition, but some voices in the crowd yelled his name loudly.

"Yeah, Will! Get up there, man!"

Will was practically pushed onto the stage, and stood next to Riley. The feeling of the crowd as well as Will's emotions made the connection so strong that Riley felt faint. Sensing this, Will inconspicuously held her hand, hiding their grasp behind her billowing dress. The gust of sudden wind came from the opening of the back door behind them, and Kala could be seen returning from the garden. She stopped in confusion, and looked around. Lito was already on the platform with Daniela, noticing the sudden tension among them. Other kids were dancing or eating, but many were waiting for the "big speech." Amanita and her other friends pulled Nomi near the stage, who felt extremely embarrassed at the attention. Capheus and Sun moved near the platform as well. Wolfgang also returned just in time. He stood a little ways away from Kala, who tried to avoid his gaze.

Daniela looked around, distracted by the sudden movement, but resumed her bubbly personality and addressed the crowd, "Ok, anyways! Haha. So, I just wanted to say a happy birthday to my friend, _Riley_. I'm super glad all of you came, and it was awesome meeting a ton of new people!"

She handed the microphone to Riley, who took it, grateful to end the night quickly. "Hello everyone. Thank you for coming and wishing me a happy eighteenth birthday. It was a lot of fun, and I made a lot of… new friends." She bit her lip and gave a small smile as the crowd clapped and whistled, many of them singing an off key happy birthday song. They all cheered one last time, and finally started to trickle out of the room. Some of them left the House. Others walked to their rooms, exhausted.

Daniela waited until the last of the students had left to turn on Riley and the other seven.

"What was that? Who are these random people, Riley?"

Riley, who wasn't very good at lying, tried to come up with an answer as Lito stepped in smoothly, shushing her with a wave of his hand.

"Dani, relax…there's no problem, is there?"

Daniela shrugged and replied tiredly, "Whatever. You guys just disrupted the end of the party. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave Riley one last hug, and stepped around the strewn cups and confetti she'd have to clean up the next day.

Riley waited until she heard Daniela reach the top of the stairs to look at the others. "Okay, I'm just as confused as her. Are all of you...?"

Will looked around the room quickly. "Not here. We need to be careful, remember? Third floor." He pointed to the stairs Daniela had just used on the opposite side of the large room, and the group slowly moved in the direction, all except Wolfgang. Kala stopped as she felt his reluctance, and turned around to face him.

"Are you coming?" she asked quietly.

Wolfgang looked at her steadily, wondering if this was really what he wanted to do. To learn about the rest of "them." He nodded, and watched her catch up with the others. Stepping into the entrance hall, he found Felix leaning against the open door. A cool breeze could be felt, and the dampness from the coming rain was nearly tangible. Felix slapped him on the back and grinned. "Hey… happy birthday. _Again_. Fun party, eh? Let's go, then." He stepped outside the door, waiting.

Wolfgang shook his head. "I forgot something. Meet with you later, alright?"

Felix smiled mischievously, whispering, "Oh, _okay_. I'm sure you forgot _something._ " He winked comically and left, wrapping himself in his jacket to fight off the wind.

/

Riley looked around the large attic before signaling to the others that it was all right to sneak in. There were a few rooms up here as well, but, for the most part, she knew they were empty.

"I hope that your prefect doesn't find us up here," Kala breathed, as she waited for the others to move up into the space.

They all sat on the ground. Though it was very clean- you could practically see your reflection in the wooden floorboards- there was an air of abandonment surrounding the place. It reminded Sun very much of the attic in House 3.

"So…" Will started off, looking at the group, "I guess we all know each other. Sort of."

Kala's phone rang at that moment, and she quickly opened her purse to answer.

"Hello?" She stood and held up a finger to the others, moving back down the stairs. She passed Wolfgang, who watched her carefully as they both paused on the steps.

"Kala, are you there? I'm just making sure you're all right. I lost you after the party." Rajan's voice over the phone could be heard in the silence.

Wolfgang set his jaw and moved past her, leaving her alone in the dark staircase.

"Yes, Rajan, I'm still here. I'm going to help clean up, and then I'll walk home. Okay? See you on Monday." She ended the call and walked back to the group. They were all talking about the woman that they had seen the day they'd all fainted.

Kala sat down- as far away from Wolfgang as possible- and spoke. "Her name was Ms. Alvira. She was my teacher."

Nomi nodded in assent. "I had her too," she stated.

Will's gaze turned to surprise as he saw something behind Kala move. It was Irsa, slowly stepping towards him.

Riley touched his shoulder softly, worried by the expression on his face. "Will, what is it? What's wrong?"

"It's the woman I spoke to you about the other night. Wait for a little bit, okay? I need to talk to her."

Will visited Irsa, once again in her small dining room area. She waved her hand to the chair, indicating that he should sit.

"Well, I wondered when there would be more time to talk. Half the time you're either sleeping and studying, or out at a party."

"How did you know? Oh… right. You can 'see inside' my mind."

Irsa ignored him and moved around her kitchen. "Will, I have to teach you more about being a sensate. It's not just _seeing_ someone who's not actually there. You can link with each other and use each other's knowledge and skills. It's an extremely powerful bond. A warning, however, before you get any more involved with that girl in your head: be careful of romances in your cluster. It is a vain and pathological thing. Avoid it. Do you understand?" She came to sit on his opposite side, slowly mixing her tea with a small, silver spoon.

"But I've already met the others in my cluster."

Irsa stopped and looked at him, interested in this bit of news. "Do you mean physically? In real space and time, you've all met?"

The boy nodded quickly.

"A cluster, all at one school. How very unlikely. Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I'm fine… it was a bit overwhelming at first, but I feel okay. Why?"

Irsa looked at him, long and hard. Finally, she answered, "Well, you're all awfully young for being reborn. But since you are teenagers… I suppose you _would_ have an easier time to adapt to the change." Taking her tea out and cleaning up in the kitchen, she called over to him. "One last thing, Will. Tell those friends of yours to be careful! Don't stay all together in public. In the meantime, I will try to find out more about whoever rebirthed you. Do you have a name?"

Will enunciated his words carefully, trying to pronounce the name as best he could. "Alvira."

He closed his eyes and felt the connection faint away. Opening them, he saw the others staring, wondering what it was that had happened.

"Will." Riley was shaking his shoulder, trying to get him to talk.

"It was the same woman." He gazed around at the anxious faces, his own emotions mixing with theirs. "She said to be careful, to avoid being together all the time. Apparently, our…cluster can link with each other, to use each other's knowledge."

Sun breathed in slowly and then exhaled, calming the members of her group. It was her own experiment based on what Will had said, and it worked. Feeling a little more at peace, they all got up and walked down the stairs. Riley and Nomi, being residents of House 1, waved goodbye to the others, locking the door behind them as quietly as possible. Will and Lito walked away from the group, and Capheus happily headed next door. Wolfgang followed him, ignoring everyone else.

Kala sighed in dismay, shaking her head as the boys all left. She moved towards Sun, and together they walked to their House.

"You like him a lot," Sun stated.

Kala realized she'd never actually heard the girl speak before. She sighed again and took out a small key from her purse. Slowly unlocking the door, she whispered, "I'm not sure about anything anymore." Trying for a more upbeat tone, she stepped inside and smiled. "But, happy birthday, right? It won't be an easy one to forget."

Sun laughed, a short but nice sound in the quiet entryway. "I suppose it is funny. Eighteen, eight teens."

 ***End of Part 2***

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Wow, can't believe we reached Chapter 10 already! Thank you for all the constructive reviews so far, they have been very helpful. I hope all of you have a super nice day. Next chapter coming on the 21 of July. _

_~C.o.D_


	11. Chapter 11- Cinnamon

_Chapter 11: (August 9)_

Riley felt the soft light stream from her open window onto her face as the sun slowly came up. Rubbing her eyes, she sat upright in her bed, disoriented. Groaning loudly, she managed to roll out of her sheets and stand –albeit a bit wobbly- on two feet. Blinking once, twice, three times, Riley noticed that her dorm mates were still fast asleep. Going to the dresser and opening her drawer, she grabbed what felt like pants, and a long sleeved shirt. It only took her five minutes before she was downstairs, rummaging around in the kitchen.

"Riley, why are you awake? It's like five in the morning," Nomi stated in astonishment, looking up from where she sat on the tiled floor.

"I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing?"

Nomi shifted the laptop resting on her legs, obviously trying to hide something. "Nothing," she said, "Just some tech stuff… "

Riley nodded her head, understanding what was being implied. She searched the cabinets until she'd found some cereal, and poured the remaining contents in a bowl. She then sat on the counter to eat and watched Nomi quickly type and click away on the keyboard.

"Let me see," she said softly after swallowing a mouthful of the food. "They brought you to the school because you're good with computers."

"Mmm-hmm." Nomi pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and then looked down again with a smile.

"But they don't know you can hack." Riley scooped up the last bit of cereal, the scraping of the spoon breaking the early morning quiet.

"Probably, probably not. I don't mean to gloat, but I'm pretty good."

"How good?"

"Very. Why, you want a fake ID to drink or something?" Nomi laughed gruffly, shutting her laptop.

"No, the legal drinking age here is…" Riley smiled as realization dawned on her. "Eighteen."

Nomi's eyes widened as she recognized Riley's plan. "Oh no. This is going to involve a bar, isn't it?"

/

Kala, exhausted from the previous night's events, didn't wake until ten o'clock in the morning. When she did, she opened the window and stuck her hand out to feel the temperature. The wind sent cold chills up her body, and she hastily shut the window. _It's the usual_ , she thought sadly. Grabbing her warmest jacket and dressing herself quickly, she set down the hall for the stairs. Just when she was turning the corner, she bumped into Amanita.

"Ahh, sorry Kala! God, I'm clumsy as hell."

"Oh, no, don't worry."

Amanita jerked her chin towards the jacket. "You going somewhere?"

"I don't know, perhaps a walk. Marie wanted me to pick up some things for my chores. What about you?"

"Nah, I finished unloading the dishwasher. _And_ vacuuming. I have a feeling she doesn't like me. Anyways, Nomi texted me earlier this morning, talking about going into town tonight … I'm about to go get my fun on!" Amanita waved a peace sign and left for the room.

Kala smiled at the thought of going into town. It would be nice to finally learn about the surrounding area besides her school. The steady rhythm of her messenger bag hitting her hip was somehow soothing as she walked towards the administration building. The doorknob was cold to the touch, and she placed her hand to her cheek in order to warm it again. Entering, Kala found a table set in the middle of the first floor that hosted a stack of papers and small bins, behind which a woman raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Is this where I sign out?"

The woman nodded and replied in a slight English accent, "Yes, right here, and you show me your ID to verify. Then when you come back to school you come here again to sign in. Okay?"

Kala handed her the school ID, and printed her name neatly in the large, leather bound notebook. Taking back her ID, Kala left the building and headed down the small road towards the gates. There was a man standing next to the gate, who tipped his hat at her while she walked past. She assumed he was probably a security guard, and acknowledged him with a small wave of her hand.

As Kala left the gates of her school, she felt suddenly relieved of most of the overwhelming tension from the past few days. Trees became sparse as she left the school's road, and she took out her phone to find the location that lead to town. Thirty minutes in, and she knew she'd taken the wrong direction. Instead of heading closer to the heart of the mainland, she'd strayed nearer to the ocean. Already she could hear the sounds of the waves as they echoed off of the surrounding slope. Making her way up and over a small hill, Kala finally saw the ocean come into view. There were cliffs in the distance, but directly in front of her was a small beach.

Kala balanced herself carefully as she descended, smiling as the grass became wispy and yellow, and eventually turned into sand.

"Kala!" A voice called to her over the sound of the crashing waves.

Turning around, she saw Wolfgang striding across the beach, coming up on her left side. He was wearing shorts, and a gray hoodie covered his hair.

"Are you actually here?" Kala asked. He was close to her, but kept his distance.

"Yes. I am actually here," he responded, chuckling under his breath.

"So do you enjoy stalking me, or are you just very good at accidentally doing it?" She walked away from him, moving slowly through the sand. He jogged to her side and matched her pace.

"Kala, I don't understand. Why are you angry?"

"I'm _not_ angry. Can't you tell I'm not angry?"

"Then why are you being like this?" He stepped in front of her to keep her from leaving.

Kala sighed, inhaling and then exhaling away her stress. It was a few seconds before she turned to him. "I don't know. I'm confused. Actually, I'm a little _more_ than confused. I don't know what I'm feeling anymore, because my emotions no longer belong to just me!"

Instead of responding to this, he nodded towards the stormy colored water.

"Come on, Kala. You need to have some fun." She turned quickly, blushing, as he pulled off his sweater, and then his shirt. He kicked off his shoes, and was in the water before she could even protest at the suddenness of the situation.

"Yes, I'm sure you're an expert on fun. Are we even allowed to swim? And isn't it freezing?" she called back loudly as she slowly turned around to face him again. Wolfgang was already swimming, his body moving powerfully against the motion of the waves.

He slowly waded back towards her so that they could talk. "I'm from Berlin. I'm used to it." He lay floating on his back, looking at her sideways.

"Yes, well, I'm from Mumbai, and I'm _not_ used to it," Kala countered. "Now can you please put some clothing on, you'll catch a cold!"

Wolfgang shook his head in laughter but came back to the shore. Thankfully he'd brought an extra pair of pants. She averted her eyes and he replied to her previous comment while he changed. "You know, you worry too much. And if I did catch a cold, you'd nurse me back to health."

"Or I probably wouldn't," Kala murmured under her breath, though she flushed at the thought.

"How come you always show that you don't like me? Even if you and I know it's not what you actually feel." He'd caught up with her after grabbing his belongings, and was now gazing down at her face.

She froze at the question. Of course he'd be the one to ask. He was quite direct in that way, when talking about other people's emotions. She could be too, but it was harder with him. She wanted to be so honest, yet there was something there that was blocking the both of them from speaking the truth.

"Kala, I know that you don't like that guy from the party. I know it because I am a part of you, and you are a part of me. How much longer are we going to ignore each other like this?"

Kala looked steadily at him, suddenly noticing all the small details about his face. The water dripping off of his hair, the dark circles under his eyes, and his lips turning blue from the cold. They were small imperfections, but she didn't care. You didn't hurt someone that you were one with. Closing her eyes and turning away, she responded casually, "I'll see you later, Wolfgang. I have to go buy some _cinnamon_." She dug out the list from her jacket pocket, and sighed.

"Will you at least let me walk you to the road?" Wolfgang asked. "You'll get lost by yourself."

Kala turned and, after slight consideration, nodded. She waited for him to catch up, and they walked side by side.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Officially going on summer vacation this Friday. I won't be away from the keys. I'll probably write more, actually. Updating will be same as always. Here's Chapter 11. I've been really busy making a music video of Kalagang and the feels are just UGH, Season 2 please! Anyways, Chapter 12 coming on the 24th. As always, have an awesome day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	12. Chapter 12- The Hermit

_Chapter 12: (August 10)_

"Alright, I'll admit...it was clearly a bad idea."

This came from Nomi as she rubbed her temples, trying to avoid the gazes of the other students around her. She was outside of the Schoolhouse, standing near the double doors.

Amanita took off her sunglasses to look at her better, wincing as she did so. "Hey, you're the one that wanted to order the extra round of shots, and then threw up in front of everyone at the bar! I told you, I specifically said, 'Nomi, are you sure? I mean, hard Faroese alcohol, that could end badly.' But _no_ , no one ever listens to _Ama-fricken-nita_!" She huffed loudly and stomped away inside.

Riley turned to Nomi and smiled. "Well, it went a lot better than I thought for a place called 'The Enhjørning Pub.'"

Nomi scoffed and walked inside, Riley slowly following her up the stone stairs. "Yeah, remind me never to return. I swear that bartender was all over me… it was so-"

"—Creepy," Riley finished quickly. They laughed suddenly, turning to one another.

"Yeah, and not my area either." Nomi continued. "Hey, you know what? _We_ all have the same lunch schedule. We could eat together, or go for a picnic sometime."

Riley sighed. "You know what Irsa told Will. 'Too dangerous.' And it has only been a few days…"

"How weird is _this_? I feel like I've known all of you my entire life."

"I know what you mean…" Riley nodded her goodbye, and Nomi walked down the hall. Waiting until her friend was out of sight, Riley took out a small tarot card from her bag, flipping it over and over again as she made for her own class.

/

Later that day, Kala met Rajan at the dining hall. It was especially empty; many of the students having chosen to work at the library instead of eat.

"How did you do on your test?" he asked as the dinner ladies came in and out of the kitchen, carrying plates towering with food to the large tables. He slid onto the bench opposite her, waiting for her to respond.

Kala looked up from her notes in surprise. "Oh, hello Rajan. I did well, thank you. An A. But I'm going to have to do the same for the exams, and then the finals, especially with those compounds. I found this really great book-"

"Kala, please slow down. You work too much, and while it is great, I wouldn't want to see you exert this much energy. You'll be exhausted by the time the semester ends. Here, have some fried mangos." He quickly grabbed some from a passing dish and placed them in her plate.

" _Fried mangos_?" She gave him a perplexed look and put her study materials in her bag, leaving the table.

Rajan followed her out the dining hall. "Have I done something wrong?" he asked. They were in the entryway now, and she looked up at his confused face. It reminded her so much of Wolfgang's expression yesterday at the beach. He'd been wrong then; she _did_ like Rajan. She liked how kind and caring he was.

"No," she said quietly, "No, you haven't done something wrong. I've just been so busy lately, and I suppose the change...of school is overwhelming."

Reassured, he grinned. "Well, then, would you like to go on a walk with me?"

"Alright. Yes, I'd like to." Kala smiled slightly as they left.

The sky was darkening as the pair stepped out onto the lawn of the Schoolhouse.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" Kala asked as they slowly strolled across the grass, the tiny green shoots tickling her bare legs.

"No… nothing in particular." He seemed to be hesitating, wondering if he should tell her something. After a few seconds of consideration, he simply shook his head, and politely motioned for her to sit on a stone bench. "Kala, I really like you. I know it's only been a few days since we met, but I already feel very close to you. And you have to know that," he looked down at the ground, smiling, "I asked Mr. Aiza if I could be the one to help you study when you came back from the infirmary."

"Rajan!" she laughed and lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Well, I'm glad you did. How else would I have learned about the specifics of subatomic particles?"

"Very true," he replied. They spent the rest of the hour talking and laughing.

/

Will visited Riley through the connection later that night. She was sitting cross-legged on the wooden floorboards, and her dorm mates were all soundly asleep. Slowly moving towards her, he sat on the floor as well.

"Did you go drinking yesterday?" he asked. He noticed that she didn't jump in surprise, or shift to look at him. She simply stared at the ground. He almost thought she wasn't going to respond, but after a minute of silence she finally did.

"Yes, Will. I did. You know the things I do." She was implying her drug use, which had been hard to keep a secret from him. "Why?"

Will chuckled slightly under his breath, but he was still tense. "No reason. I just felt a slight hangover early this morning. Where'd you go?"

"The Enhjørning."

"I'm not familiar with Danish."

"It means The Unicorn Pub."

They both laughed, and Riley finally looked up at him. Will stared at her face in surprise. There were streaks on her cheeks where tears had fallen, and her eyes were red.

"Riley, were you crying?" he asked, his concern growing as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I surround myself with people all the time, Will, all the time. And yet I feel so alone…"

"Where is this coming from? Did someone say something to you? Tell me who it was and I'll take care of it."

Riley shook her head, her white hair softly tickling his neck. "No, no one told me anything. It was this." She moved away from him and to her pillow, sliding her hand inside the case. Will stood to see what she was doing. As he did so, she pulled out a rectangular card.

"I don't understand. What are you trying to show me?"

Riley wiped her tears away quickly, forcing herself to concentrate on the conversation. "It was yesterday. I found this in my purse after I came back and was signing in at the office. It just fell out and I picked it up." She handed it to Will shakily.

"It's a tarot card," she said in response to his confused expression. "It helps you see your past, present, and future self."

"Huh… well, okay. What's the problem then?"

"Will… I never visited _anyone_ for a reading."

Will's curiosity piqued as Riley slowly turned the card face forward. As she flipped it over, she read the words aloud that she had already memorized: " _The Hermit_."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I was sick for the past two days, so here's a slightly shorter chapter than usual. I'm on vacation now (thank goodness) and can write more. Thank you to the guest reviews that, sadly, I couldn't respond to via private messaging. Here is Chapter 12. I feel like I say this every time that I update, but still no season 2 renewal. It's okay, it's fine, hopefully the news will come around next week's one month anniversary update of this fanfic? I hope all of you have an awesome day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	13. Chapter 13- What's Behind the Doors?

_Chapter 13: (August 29)_

Will met Riley at noon on Saturday. It had been more than two weeks since she'd shown him the tarot card, and every moment they had spent together she'd seemed busy musing over its meaning.

Riley opened the door to House 1, quickly ushering him inside.

"What, are we being followed?" he asked, taking off his jacket and swinging it on the chair in the hallway.

"No, but I did some research since last time. Here, come with me." She took his hand and brought him to the second staircase in the House. This one was located in the corner of the entrance hall, and led down to the basement.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about last weekend. I'm sorry we couldn't go back to the pub to find some answers. Apparently people from town were down at the beach whaling, and the Headmaster didn't want us to participate or leave to see it. I guess it might give the Board a bad image…"

"No, it's fine. I've actually been to see it once, when I was younger. But then I threw up and my dad never took me again. Here's the light switch." After stumbling around in the dark for a few seconds, Riley managed to find her way to the small panel at the bottom of the stairwell.

As she pressed a button, the basement hall lit up slowly. On each side of the narrow corridor were plain doors.

"I haven't been to your basement yet," Will spoke quietly. "What's behind the doors?"

Riley pointed to the first two. "Those are dorms for the Prefects. Everyone says they're luxury, but I've never been inside. The ones in the middle are laundry."

Will motioned to the doors at the far end of the hall. "What about those ones?"

"Well, as I found out a few days ago, the left door leads to a supply closet. The right one leads down into the sub-basement. But I didn't go down there so I can't be sure." She bit her lip and moved to the left side of the hall.

"Alright, supply closet it is."

The supply closet turned out to be more of a supply _room_. Turning on the light, the two could see that a large table stacked with boxes occupied most of the space. On each side of the room were cabinets and shelves. Snacks, toilet paper, old textbooks, and emergency kits were some of the few items stored there. As Riley looked around, Will removed the boxes from on top of the table, and dusted it off. Taking two kitchen stools from a nearby corner, he placed them at the end of the table that was the farthest from the door.

"So why is it exactly that we're convening here of all places? Aren't the girls in your dorm gone for the day?" Will asked as Riley opened up the laptop she'd brought with her.

"No, I don't think so. The storm has them all stuck here. It isn't supposed to stop raining until tonight." Her voice became softer as she buried herself in the lore of tarot cards and fortune telling on her screen.

"Riley, did you ever stop to think that maybe this isn't a message? That perhaps you or someone else was so drunk they just passed it into your bag as a, I don't know, practical joke?" He sounded anxious, and she knew it was from his linking with her.

"Will, you don't have to help me. But I know this is not just a joke. This is real. I can feel it." She lowered her computer screen, and watched his reaction with her olive-green eyed gaze.

"What have you found so far?" He opened her laptop and turned it slightly to face him, looking at the Word document of her compiled research.

/

Lito was in the living room when he heard House 4's doorbell ring. The other boys were either upstairs or out of the House, so he slid off the couch and sauntered over to the door. Opening it, he was surprised to see that it was Daniela. She was holding a bright pink umbrella in one hand, and a rolled up brown bag in the other.

"Lito, hey! _Como estas?_ I just came over to see you. And I brought company…"

Lito stared in shock at the bag, and then back inside the house to make sure none of the Prefects were there.

"Oh don't worry," she said in reply to his worried look, "it's sugar cookies and cider!"

Looking over her head to the downpour, he hurried her inside, taking her umbrella and leaning it against the wall to dry. He turned and realized that she was slowly advancing him towards the corner. He held up his hands and walked around her.

"Look, Daniela, I'm glad you came, but I'm not feeling too well right now and it would be great if you could come back later."

She rolled her eyes and moved closer to him, placing her hand on his chest. He almost jerked back in surprise, but she continued talking. "You know, Lito, we'd be great together. You're attractive… I'm attractive..."

She winked and he became clammy with anxiety. He felt a connection in his mind and saw Capheus laughing and shaking his head. Trying to maneuver his way out of her grasp, he shook his finger at her.

"Ahahaha, umm, good one Daniela! Really. Funny." Lito shooed Capheus out of his mind. "But you see, the thing is… I'm not available."

"You're not? But at the party you said you didn't have a date."

"Well I didn't. But I'm dating someone. She's from Naucalpan. It's a long distance relationship." He added when he saw her expression.

"Well, it doesn't have to be a relationship at all. It's okay; you'll come around." She blew him a kiss and took up her umbrella again, shutting the door almost as loudly as the thunder outside.

"And she didn't even leave the sugar cookies?"

Lito turned and saw Hernando leaning against the wall.

"And _you_ listened but you couldn't even help me?" Lito asked angrily, locking the door behind Daniela.

"I heard enough from the living room. And why are you lying to her? I know there's no girl from Naucalpan."

Lito brushed past Hernando, heading towards the library. Hernando followed him and sat down in one of the leather armchairs. Lito tried to ignore him for a while, but eventually looked up and said, "She doesn't need to know. Daniela is nice but she's too…" he squinted and gestured around, trying to make the other boy understand how very much _stubborn_ she was.

Hernando shook his head, quietly stating, "You need to learn how to be honest with people, Lito. And then you need to learn how to be honest with yourself." He stood from his seat and left the room.

/

Riley and Will were making plans to sneak out when they heard the door to the supply closet slowly open.

Riley turned to him and motioned to the door. Grabbing her laptop from the table, they moved to the far side of the room, hiding behind some boxes.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" the voice was gruff, and sounded familiar.

"Nomi?" Riley stepped out from behind the boxes to look at her friend. "How did you find us?"

Nomi laughed and edged around the strewn supplies, holding a laptop in one hand. "Uh, I live with you, I'm a hacker, _and_ I'm connected to your mind and body."

"Sounds reasonable," Will replied. "But why are you here?"

Nomi turned her own laptop screen to face Riley. "You could learn to delete your history, you know. What's the deal with all this magic tarot stuff anyways? Halloween's not around the corner, last I checked."

Riley took out the card and showed it to Nomi. The girl flipped it back and forth, and then handed it back to her.

"Okay, but what does that mean?"

"Remember when we went to the Enhjørning? Someone there slipped this into my bag. 'The Hermit' is the card of introspection and soul-searching. When it's right side up."

Nomi frowned. "What about when it's upside down?"

"Loneliness, withdrawal, and…isolation."

Will sensed sudden feelings and memories emanating from Riley. She was young and alone. Scared of something. Of death, it seemed.

"Someone you knew died when you were very young?" Nomi asked quietly.

"Yes. She was sick." Riley looked down at the ground in contemplation, recalling the event. "But now is not the time to talk about it. I'm really curious to know why someone would give me this. Maybe we can go back to the pub tomorrow?"

Nomi shook her head sadly. "I don't think we can tomorrow. At least not until September. Only the Prefects are allowed to leave, or send us on errands."

"Whaling season," Will muttered.

Nomi frowned, placing her laptop on the table behind her. "Wait a minute," she breathed to the other two, and visited Kala.

The girl was at the Schoolhouse's library, staring at her iPhone screen.

"Kala? What is it?" Picking up the phone, Nomi's eyes widened at the message.

Kala looked up at Nomi, confused. "I don't understand. I just got this message a minute ago."

"If you could physically meet us at House 1's basement, we'd appreciate it a lot. I'm not sure what's happening, but it's kind of important and we need your phone."

Nomi was back in the supply room, placing her computer on the table. Will and Riley crowded behind her, watching as she tapped away. She paused and sighed. The two moved away slightly, settling back into their seats.

"Thank you."

Kala showed up in the basement corridor five minutes later, drenched to her socks in cold rain. Will waved her over and grabbed a blanket from one of the cabinets. Thanking him with a nod of her head, she wrapped herself up and sat down at the table.

Nomi didn't bother to look away from her computer, only held out her hand. Kala dropped the phone into her outstretched palm.

"Is it another card?" Riley asked.

"Yup. Let me pull it up on my computer screen. It's 'The Lovers,' if that makes a difference." They all turned to stare at Kala, who blushed a deep red.

Will focused back on Nomi. "But can you find out who sent it? The person must have known one of us, or Kala."

"Definitely, but the more important question is why they sent it. It may take some time to decode where this came from. The Internet connection in this storm sucks, and the only thing I have is my laptop. Unless, of course, I can access the school's mainframe after it passes, they might have more computing power and information. On the plus side, only half of this town even owns a computer, so it'll be easier to locate. No offense," she added quickly with a glance at Riley.

"Not my country, I don't mind. Is that what you have been working on since getting here? Accessing the school's files?" Riley pointed to the information on the screen.

"Yeah, but it's tough. They've got a pretty secure server. I've only managed to find some of it, which I haven't sorted through yet. Okay, let's see what the school's been up to…" She clicked on several documents and started reading.

Kala looked back at the door. "Should I leave? I'm afraid I'm not much help with computers."

Will shook his head. "You can stay, but you might want to wait around for your phone."

"No, she's good. I have all the data I need. But guys, come see this."

They moved to gaze over her shoulder, wondering what it was they were looking at.

Nomi smirked. "These are emails of the teachers communicating with each other. And it's not about grading. Who wants to know what _really_ happened to Alvira?"

/

The Headmaster picked up the phone, waiting until the second time it rang. He slowly put it to his ear. "Hello? Who is this?"

A man's voice resonated over the line. "It's me."

"Why are you calling? I am busy."

"Yes, I'm sure you are. There's something we need to talk about…"

 ***End of Part 3***

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Thank you to everyone who has been supportive of this fan fic over the one month span since I've written it. It's been really great to write for a small community of Sense8 fans, and I really appreciate all the comments I've been getting to help me improve my writing. I was thinking of having a 64 Chapter arc, but I'll have to see as the story develops further. All I can say is: read it like a scenario. I may also change the update time in the future to four days, but Chapter 14 will still be posted on the 30th. Congratulations if you made it through this entire note. As always, have a wonderful day!_

 _~C.o.D._


	14. Chapter 14- Old School

_Chapter 14: (August 30)_

"Kala," came a voice, echoing off the sides of the Houses.

Kala turned to the source. Glancing back at the fountain, she noticed Wolfgang walking towards her. He was once again in a dark jacket, but this time the hoodie didn't cover his hair.

"Are you alright?" She frowned, watching his exhausted face. "You don't seem to be getting enough sleep."

"No, I'm fine. But why didn't you tell me about the cards? I know you got one yesterday."

Kala sighed, continuing her walk towards the Schoolhouse. He followed her carefully, waiting for an answer.

"It's not to worry. It must be a joke of some kind."

"It can't be."

They stopped walking, this time on the lawn of the building. Turning to watch him again, Kala noticed that his cheeks were subtly pink, although she wasn't sure if it was from talking to her or from the icy wind.

He continued, trying to explain further. "Look, getting what you did, it has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"I thought you didn't believe in God," she countered, smiling.

"I don't care either way. If there is a God, he doesn't do shit. But I do believe in miracles, Kala. Like our connection? You can't say that's not a miracle."

"I think we've felt, and spoken about this enough to know, but I just want to stay like this. Not anything else. As much as I wish, I'm just very..."

Wolfgang set his jaw, his eyes blazing. "Rajan?"

Kala hesitated, knowing that she couldn't lie to him. "He's nice, Wolfgang. And you _know_ what Irsa said."

"It's okay. You don't need to explain. I think I understand now." He turned away from her, hunching his shoulders as he walked into the strong wind. Watching him go, she felt both anger and sadness boiling up inside her.

Kala's phone rang suddenly as she turned to the School's door. She unlocked the call and held it to her ear, pacing outside the entrance hall.

"Are you in?" came Nomi's voice.

"I'm not quite inside yet. What do I do once I'm in his office?"

"Get in there quick, take the flash drive I gave you, and then place it in his computer's USB port."

"But how will I know his password? And what if there are _cameras_?" Kala's pacing became faster as the she realized just how terrified she was of breaking into the Headmaster's office.

"Relax, we went over this yesterday. The flash drive will decrypt the password and allow you access to his files. Just let the drive do its work. And there's no way there are any cameras in that part of the building. He's old school." She paused over the line and Kala paused as well. "No pun intended."

"Okay, I'm going inside."

Turning off the phone, Kala slowly entered the building. She'd already memorized the layout of the Schoolhouse, although it was too large to know where every class was.

 _Left hall after entrance, straight down, another left, door._ Following the steps in her mind, she found the room number. She tried the door handle, only to find that it was locked. "Of course it is," she murmured under her breath.

"Do you need something?" a deep voice asked from across the hall.

Kala looked back at the elderly man, her blood running cold. He was leaving the lecture room from one of the side doors, and was staring at her, puzzled.

"Oh. No, no I was just looking for some help." Kala's mind raced as she tried to find an excuse. Backing away from the door and towards the man - he was most likely a teacher - she tapped into Lito's skill and changed her expression to one of horror. "There was this dog outside of my House's fence, a large dog, with really pointy teeth. I just came to tell the Headmaster."

The man squinted and shook his head slowly, "Under those circumstances, you go directly to a Prefect. They are the ones in charge of the household. Now, you should probably return. Students are not allowed to be wandering the School halls during the weekend." He watched her carefully as she left; his bushy eyebrows making him resemble a rather old owl.

Turning the corner back into the Entrance hall, Kala took out her phone and sent a quick text to Nomi.

 _Couldn't do it._

 _Teacher watching._

 _Need more time._

/

Nomi locked the phone and set it aside. Receiving Kala's text had been disappointing, but there was always another, better time to acquire the information she was looking for. One small press of the enter key and they would all find out what the Headmaster knew. Of course, the teachers' emails had linked them to the clue that Alvira had disappeared completely. But the question remained: what were they doing to find her?

"Hey, Nom', what you thinking about?" Amanita leaned over the side of her bunk bed and tapped Nomi's forehead with her index finger. The girl had somehow managed to wrap her rainbow colored headphone's plug around her foot. She was reading a book, the front of which was indiscernible from where Nomi was sitting.

"Nothing much. But I have to ask you something, and you have to keep it between me and you, alright?"

"Cool, what is it?" She unwrapped herself from the headphones and placed them neatly aside, giving Nomi her full attention.

"My History teacher went missing and she's really close to me, but not really, and Kala and I are trying to find her because she's definitely gone from the country." Pausing to catch her breath, she glanced up at Amanita to assess her response.

"Fan- _tastic_!" was the reply.

"You're going to have to keep this a secret."

"Um, totally! I was _born_ to be Nancy. And I'm probably your best shot at catching the killer." Amanita jumped to the floor and looked under her bed, finally finding her leather trunk. She took out a flashlight and lit up her face creepily, her smile made all the more ominous by the light.

"We're not looking for a killer…" Nomi grabbed the flashlight away from her, ignoring Amanita's sarcastic eye roll.

"First, we should have code names, you know? You can be WallWhacker… huh, I like that, I should trademark it."

"Wall _what_? You're not high again, are you?"

Amanita, however, was just getting started. She jumped around the room, pretending to talk on a walkie-talkie, and holding her hands up like she was aiming a gun.

Nomi stood and calmed her friend, taking her elbow and sitting her on the floor. "Look," she started, "Kala just texted me, and she couldn't find a way into Matheson's office to export some files from his computer. I don't know what, but we need a distraction."

"Well, you could go the old-school Fire Alarm method. There's the heart attack method too. Or, you know, just break into his office and run for it when the security guards come."

"And risk getting kicked out of the Board? I don't think that's such a good idea. No, we need something else."

Amanita thought for a moment, and then looked up in excitement. "This also might get me kicked out of the Board, but it'll definitely get you your info. How badly do you want to help this teacher?"

Nomi thought back to the day she'd been 'reborn.' The pain had been difficult, but it would have been worse for Alvira. And in the end, she'd found herself connected to seven other friends.

"Amanita… I _really_ want this information."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Amanita is so fun to write about, and she'll be pretty important in the coming chapters. Next chapter coming on August 3. I'm changing the update time to every four days, but I'll be writing lengthier chapters. I'll keep you posted on the times in case they change in the future, although they probably won't. I hope everyone is having an awesome summer (or winter, depending on where you live)!_

 _~C.o.D._


	15. Chapter 15- Fight!

_Chapter 15: (August 31)_

"Oh man, this is totally not going to end well, is it?"

Amanita, Nomi, and Sun were situated in the Dining Hall of the Schoolhouse. The smell of lunch food wafted out from the kitchen, and Amanita's stomach grumbled in response.

"Okay, let's hurry this up, I need to eat." She winced as Sun approached, her face frighteningly calm for what was about to happen.

"If our plan works, you won't be eating for a while," Nomi muttered under her breath, "So I'm going to go stand over there now."

Amanita nervously began reciting the script she and Sun had memorized that morning in-between classes. Nomi had called Sun yesterday, knowing that the girl was probably the most suitable and willing for this situation.

"Hey, bitch. Yeah, you!" She moved up to Sun, pretending to bump into her angrily. "Are you the one who stole my boyfriend? Yeah, it's totally you. I can't believe it. You're a man stealing whore!" She slapped Sun, and everyone in the room gawked at the scene. Sun, whose back was to the crowd, smiled and readied herself in a fighting stance.

"Oh dear Acting Gods, please protect me," Amanita whispered. Louder so that the other students would hear, she yelled, "Oh, you want to fight now? I will mess you up!"

On the other side of the room, Nomi covered her eyes and grimaced. She hadn't wanted the two to actually hurt each other, but Sun had stated that the only way to make it believable was to land a few punches. No one could argue with a bruise.

Looking back up, she saw Sun lightly kick Amanita down on the ground, and then slap her in the face. She felt someone else next to her, and turned to see Capheus staring at the fight.

"She's pretty incredible, no? I wish I could be like that," he said, sounding rather wistful.

Nomi looked at him incredulously. "Capheus! She is literally _pummeling_ my friend into the ground."

He shook his head sadly. "Such a shame. Why must two people fight?"

"You know why we need to get into the office. You're in my head too. We need to find out what happened to that woman," Nomi heard a high-pitched curse, most likely from Amanita, and continued, "so that we can help her."

The fighting was getting serious, and the other students were crowding around now, chanting in various languages, " _Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight!"_ Food was thrown in the air, and Nomi narrowly missed being hit by a stray slice of ham. Looking over the heads of a few teenagers, she saw adults moving through the riot, making their way towards the two girls.

"Right on time…"

/

Sun and Amanita were escorted to the office by several security guards. One of them, a burly man named Baldur, knocked on the frosted glass pane of the door.

"Come in," a voice called. It was chilling, and sounded faintly British.

The burly security guard opened the door. The other two guards released the girls, and closed it loudly behind them.

Amanita turned away from the entrance of the office, and stared at the man in the large leather chair. The window behind the desk illuminated the trio, and the man's hair shown shockingly white in the noonday sunlight. Looking away from his desktop computer, he frowned at the two girls and gestured for them to sit. As they settled in, he began to speak.

"To start off-."

Sun, however, never found out what the Headmaster wanted to "start off" with, as at that moment, step two of Nomi's plan occurred. Scooting away from her chair, Amanita dashed out of the office, zipping past the security guards.

"Hey, what are you… Get back here!" Baldur shouted. Another man swore loudly in Faroese. Matheson sighed and stood from his desk, shutting the door as he followed the security guards.

Moving quickly, Sun clasped the drive from inside her left boot and stuck it in the computer's USB port. Somewhere at the back of her mind, she hoped that Amanita was a fast enough runner.

 _32%, 46%_

Amanita could be heard protesting loudly down the hall as the men caught up with her.

 _67%, 80%_

The security guards and the Headmaster were coming back, the sound of footsteps becoming louder against the tiles outside.

 _98%, 99%_

Finally reaching 100, Sun grabbed the drive out of the port, sticking it in her shoe once again. She had just sat down in the chair when Matheson reentered, holding Amanita by the arm. He paused in the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Sun. She looked right back at him, raising her eyebrows in defiance. Sitting Amanita down rather harshly, he stood at the side of his desk.

"Never, in all my years of being Headmaster at the Board, have I seen such a fight in the Dining Hall. Tell me, why shouldn't I just kick you both out of this school?"

Sun looked at him and replied coolly, "My father has invested much money since the beginning of the school year. It would be a shame if his only daughter was not allowed a spot here, no?" Her face held no expression, and Matheson turned his attention towards Amanita after a few seconds.

"And you?"

"Uh, I'm in the gifted range, and I'm also cute?" She smiled and placed the back of her hand under her chin, blinking rapidly in an attempt to bat her eyelashes.

He rolled his eyes -a feat neither Sun nor Amanita believed he could be capable of- and motioned for them to stand.

"I won't suspend you because I've read your files, and you both seem to be good students. Although I don't much like your flippant attitude." He directed this towards Amanita with a glare, but continued his lecture. "I also realize this is your first month here. However, you will attend detention for the next three weeks, and you will double on the chores tasked by your Prefects. Starting with cleaning up the Dining Hall."

Amanita raised her hand. "Hi, yeah, question: when can we eat?"

/

Nomi was once again in the basement of House 1 when the door opened and in walked Sun and Amanita.

"Do you have the drive?"

Sun took it out of her pocket and threw it towards Nomi. It made a perfect arc as it spun through the air, and landed in her palm.

"Well it didn't go that badly, then…"

"'That badly?' Nomi, it went pretty bad." Amanita tilted her head so that the bruise on her cheek was visible in the dim light of the storage room. "Look at what's happened to my beautiful face. Models everywhere are weeping."

Sun smirked and opened the door. "You'll be fine."

Amanita waited until the girl left to mimic her. "'You'll be fine, blah blah. That girl could snap a tree with her pinky. In her _sleep_."

Nomi shook her head, brown strands of hair falling in her face. Pushing them back impatiently, she stuck the drive into her laptop. "You know, you should be careful with what you say. She's in my head too."

Amanita sat in one of the foldout chairs, counting her fingers. "So you have, like, seven other people in your head, right? And Sun's one of them. So is Kala. Geez, it all sounds weird. And that's coming from me."

"Tell me about it. I can't believe you're taking this so well. Most people would scream and run the other way if they knew. Or lock me up in a mental institution."

The other girl smiled, and held out her hand across the table. Nomi took it reassuringly, interlacing their fingers like growing vines.

"Lucky for you, I'm not most people. And I was pretty kick-ass today. Even Baldur couldn't take me without a fight."

"Nice. Now let's see what's on this," Nomi replied, opening the documents from the drive. Most of it was standard, such as tax information, donors, and test scores.

"We have a _hot tub_? How did I not know about this?" Amanita scoffed, pointing at the information on the screen.

"You probably wouldn't, since it's the teachers' hot tub. Glad all our money is going towards their well-soaked bodies." Nomi scrolled through the documents, placing the ones that weren't needed in the trash.

"Wait, wait, wait." Amanita stood from her chair to get a better look at the screen. "Open that one. Yeah, the email."

"It's from the police… It says they were looking for the disappeared 'Laura M. Alvira.' But then here, Mr. Matheson said she'd quit the day she disappeared."

"That's impossible. Kala said she saw Alvira, like all sick and stuff, after dinner the day she disappeared."

"She saw her in her mind. But why would she quit the first day of school, right after classes that morning? That's what doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense right now." Nomi sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing them with the back of her hands.

"Here, let me see it." Amanita slowly turned the computer towards her. " Well, she must have gone after her classes were over, so around noon. Then… she probably left the school grounds to go home, if she lives in Hoyvik. And…. She disappeared? We're definitely missing something important."

"Yeah. If only we knew what that was."

"Oh, Nomi! One more thing: Sun wanted me to give you this. She says she found it in her English textbook."

Nomi had a feeling she already knew what it was. And, just as expected, Amanita drew out a tarot card from her schoolbag, placing it face up on the table.

"This is ironic on so many levels..." Nomi squinted, trying to discern the details in the picture.

The image was that of a man holding a lion. Above the man's head was an infinity sign, and below, the title of the card: _Strength_.

/

"All right?" Myra smiled as Kala walked in, throwing her bag on her bunk bed.

"Yes. Did you see the fight in the cafeteria? I was at the library, but heard it was awful."

"I'm afraid so. I was there, but a lot of people were gone before it started. It was between Amanita and Sun, although to be honest I didn't realize that Sun had a boyfriend, or that Amanita wanted one. It was all quite strange…"

Kala noticed that the girl played chess by herself, and sat down on the ground to watch attentively.

"Would you like to play?" Mira asked as Kala settled on the floor. "I also have _Clue_ , _Life_ , and _Sorry_. Or we could play blackjacks."

"I'm fine. How is your poetry? You haven't been writing as much lately."

"Oh, I finished! I gave it to Camille… do you know Camille?"

Kala shook her head, indicating that, no, she didn't know who Camille was.

"Well," Myra continued, pushing a rook off the board, "She's from France. Pretty gifted at music and the like. I asked her if she'd turn my poems into a song, so she's working on that. I think you two would get along quite nicely if you met. On another note, how's Rajan?"

Kala shrugged lightly and sighed, moving a piece to capture her friend's pawn.

"Hmm. Okay." The redhead smiled, and tapped her fingers on the ground as she mulled over her next move. "Well, it'll all fall into place."

Kala looked up in time to see a serious expression flash across Myra's face. It was gone in an instant, however, and the girl was back to her normal, friendly demeanor.

"I suppose…" Kala mused, but she was bothered by a growing uneasiness.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** My Internet stopped working overnight due to a power outage, but I finally got it back (thank goodness). Here's Chapter 15. Next chapter coming on Friday the 7th. We'll meet new character(s), and the mystery will continue... I hope all of you h_ _ave an awesome day, drink plenty of water, and enjoy your week!_

 _~C.o.D._


	16. Chapter 16- Lost in the Downpour

_Chapter 16: (September 25)_

The students at the Board said farewell to summer as September began, bringing with it the cold season, as well as the realization that school was far from over. Waking from her restless sleep one early morning that first week, Kala turned her head to watch as rain tapped the window in a thrumming noise. It reminded her of when she was a child, and standing outside of her father's restaurant to watch as the warm rain pooled off of the sloped rooftop, splattering into the streets.

"It's relaxing, isn't it?"

Kala started, nearly bumping her head on the bunk above her. Her heart raced quickly in surprise, and she could make out Wolfgang in the dark, lying down on the other side of her bed. She bit back a sound of surprise so as not to awake the other girls, and reached for her phone.

"It's four in the morning," she whispered, double-checking the time on the small screen.

"I like the rain," he continued, almost as if he hadn't heard her speak. "There's something nice about being all alone and hearing it. It used to help me sleep when I was younger."

Kala sat quietly and watched him as he spoke, her vision adjusting slowly to the dark blue light of the room. She could see that his eyes were closed, and he was resting his hand on his cheek. Opening them again, he looked at her. The same emotions she had felt from him at the Infirmary came back. His hate for whatever was in Germany was strong, although the feeling was slightly subdued with the calming rain outside.

Pushing her pillow up against the headboard to sit comfortably, she asked him why he'd visited her.

"I don't know," he replied softly, avoiding her gaze. "I think it's because I'm selfish."

She frowned and was about to ask what he meant when a peal of thunder outside her window startled her, breaking the connection.

Looking back, she noticed that Wolfgang was gone. As she pushed the pillow down again to fall asleep, a part of her mind wondered if perhaps it had been a dream. It certainly had felt like it…

/

As the weeks progressed, they continued to see each other on their way to class, or in the dining hall. Kala would give a small wave of her hand, and Wolfgang would nod in her direction, his face grim. Kala still wasn't sure if it had been a dream, as he had never acknowledged that their visit during the storm had occurred.

"Hey, are you okay?" a voice asked softly.

Kala snapped out of her train of thought, looking across the library table to where Nomi sat. The Board's library was located on the first floor of the building, and was quiet large. Soft light steamed in through the windows, naturally illuminating the studious teenagers.

"Yes, I'm fine." She smiled, although she knew the other girl could tell what was bothering her. "Where were we?"

"Well, _we_ were paired up to complete our history presentation. You know, the one that's due in a week." Nomi lifted a stack of books off of the floor and onto the seat next to her. The sound made a loud thump, and a flood of shushes from the librarians was the response.

"Six days, I think," Kala corrected. "Have you found anything else?"

"On the Paris Peace Conference? Yup. But the thing is each book has only a few pages. We're going to have to do a lot of sorting…" She slid a stack of post-its to Kala, who shook her head.

"No, I meant have you found anything more on our teacher. Our old teacher."

"Oh, you mean about Alvira… no, that's slow going. The trail just stops with the Headmaster's email to the police."

"Then perhaps we should just stop looking. There doesn't seem to be anything more," Kala said, leafing through a book on French politics.

"Well, I didn't know you were one to give up."

"I'm _not_. As much as I wish we could find her, I feel like she is really gone, or that she doesn't want to be found. And I have a B- in mathematics. A _B-,"_ she whispered fiercely.

Another round of shushing came from the librarians, and Kala lowered her head to draw attention away from herself.

"Wow. Amanita and Riley need to take you out sometime, seriously. I think you're going stir crazy. And anyway, high school is supposed to be about fun," Nomi sighed, shutting another book and placing it on the chair, "and learning things you will never need in life."

"It's not going to be fun if I..." Kala paused and stared at the entrance of the library as two people entered. Nomi looked at her friend, and then back at the door.

"Kala, what is it?"

"Can we do this later? I need to leave." Kala smiled politely and looked around for another exit, but there were none. Steeling herself, she held on to her messenger bag and walked quickly to the front door, hoping to leave before…

"Kala?"

She turned at the sound of her name; spoken by a voice so familiar to her it was like her own.

"Hello, Wolfgang," she said. He was sitting on one of the library's old leather couches, a girl beside him.

"Do you know her?" the girl asked in a pretty Parisian accent.

Wolfgang quickly composed himself and looked up at Kala, nodding. "Yes, Kala and I met through some friends." He introduced them to each other without a glance at the blonde next to him.

Not one for snide remarks, Kala replied quietly, "It was nice to meet you, Camille. I hope you find everything you were looking for." She motioned to the books on the girl's lap, although Wolfgang frowned, taking her statement as a different meaning he didn't particularly like.

Kala turned when Camille - she supposed this was the Camille Myra had told her about- leaned in to whisper something to Wolfgang.

"Wait up!" Nomi called as she saw her friend exit the room, giving up on being quiet. The librarians all but protested, demanding that the girl leave.

"I'm going, I'm going…" She picked up the stack of books and jogged to the entrance, shutting the heavy oak doors behind her.

Kala was walking down the corridor, her bag bumping against her hip as she moved quickly. Nomi caught up with her just as she turned into the entrance hall.

"Hey, are you okay?" She looked down at the girl, who seemed surprisingly calm for what had just happened. But then again, Kala _was_ a very calm person.

"Yes, I'm fine. There's no reason not to be."

"If you say so… I'll text you later with the history information. Don't get lost in the downpour, alright?" Nomi said, tucking the books away in her backpack. Waving goodbye, they parted outside on the lawn of the Schoolhouse.

/

Will knocked at House 1's door, pulling the hood of his jacket up as a light sheet of rain fell, soaking the students that ran back and forth from the School to their dorms. He was about to knock again when the door opened suddenly. To his surprise, however, it wasn't Riley, but rather Daniela.

"Oh, hey…" He gritted his teeth as several droplets of water made their way into his boots, drenching his socks. "Is Riley home?"

Daniela looked at him smugly, and then called back over her shoulder, "Riley! Will Gorski is at the door to see you! Again!" She waited for a few seconds, and then turned back to Will. "She's probably up in her room. Oh, you should come inside! It's raining." She said this as though it wasn't apparent to anyone but herself, and widened the door so that he could get in. Wiping his feet on the entrance mat, Will waited in the living room while Daniela went up to find Riley.

The girls descended the stairs after a few minutes, and Daniela walked into the kitchen to give them privacy.

"Hi… I didn't know you were coming to visit me." Riley smiled and sat down next to him on the couch, folding her legs beneath her.

Will reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, holding up an object in his hand. Looking at it closely, Riley sighed and lightly shrugged. "You too?" she asked, reaching for the card. She flipped it over in her hand, feeling the worn, rounded corners. A few of the letters were underlined, as they had been in the other cards. On the front side was an image she recognized from her research.

"The Emperor. It means structure, leadership, security. Or domination and control…"

Will watched her carefully and took the card back after she was done inspecting it. "You know what this means, right?" When she didn't say anything he added, "First you, then Kala. Sun. Me. Capheus said he found one too. It was stapled to his graded essay. It's getting ridiculous how creepy this is. Someone is sending all of us these tarot cards, and we don't even know why."

"It seems a lot of trouble for nothing if it _is_ connected to that teacher. Did you hear anything from Irsa?"

Will shook his head, leaning back on the couch. A flash of lightning illuminated the room, and the light from the lamps seemed to flicker for a second. "No. I'm worried that something's gone wrong."

"It feels like everything's gone wrong, Will."

The sound of rain pelting glass became louder, and Will took Riley's hand in his own, watching the sky outside the window turn darker as time passed by.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I can hear the breaking hearts of all the Kalagang shippers… Don't worry, it's only temporary. Unless Wolfmille becomes a thing. But why have an OC/CC relationship when you can have a canon relationship? Anyways, __I tried to incorporate a theme of "rain" into this chapter because it's raining a lot where I live. I also do my research, and it rains a lot on the Faroe Islands. Tomorrow is August 8th. You know what that means! One final note: Throughout the story, names, places, motifs, people's backgrounds, even "random" details mostly all have meaning. But it'll all fall into place anyways, right? Next chapter coming on the 11th. Have a super awesome weekend, and feel free to PM me on Saturday if they announce big news about Sense8 (We can Fangirl/boy together)._

 _~C.o.D._


	17. Chapter 17- The Land of Sheep

_Chapter 17: (October 25)_

The smell of rain and dead leaves surrounded Lito as he walked down the stairs of his House, wrapping a large cashmere scarf around his neck. Where he was from, there rarely was a chance to wear winter gear, so he took this opportunity gladly. Perhaps it meant that this year he would change for the better?

Signing out at the Administration building, Lito hoped not to encounter a storm on his way to town. Leaving through the gates, he turned right on a sharp fork in the path, which took him away from the ocean and closer to the small, forested area between the school and the highway that ran through Hoyvik and beyond.

He felt empty, somehow, as he passed the highway and continued on to a smaller road. There hadn't been many opportunities to meet with the other seven. He wondered if they still would have become friends if they had never been connected. Will and Riley were always spending time together, bringing a peace and calm to Lito's mind. Nomi was busy with her non-sensate friends (as well as her computer), when she wasn't helping the two decipher their bizarre tarot card mystery. Sun was quiet and not much company in the first place, unless she was being followed around by the ever-talkative Capheus. Kala was always studying, and Wolfgang… well, he was always gloomy and brooding. Looking around his mind subjected one to the same feelings of self-loathing and anger that he felt. Lito hated to admit this to himself, but the first time he'd met him, he'd secretly thought he was attractive.

"Thanks," came a boy's voice, not far down the street.

Lito nearly walked into the stop sign in front of him, turning around to see Wolfgang quietly coming up on his side. " _Dios mio_ , you know what I was thinking?"

"Yes. So can the others. " Wolfgang smiled knowingly, looking down at the ground in contemplation.

"It's not true, what they say about me."

Wolfgang stopped in his tracks and looked up at him, his brow furrowed. "Why do you lie?"

"I don't know. Because it's how I protect myself. Because _lying_ is easy, and it's what I do."

The other boy watched him carefully, and then walked back down the street after a few seconds, leaving the connection as Lito turned around.

The Post office was close to him now, a few cars parked in front of it. Down a block or two, he could see a group of college-aged men leaning against an old storefront, talking loudly in what he assumed was Faroese. They turned to look at him, and he quickly entered to avoid their gazes and the cold mist of rain that began to fall.

Inside was only slightly warmer, and Lito rubbed his hands, wishing he'd brought a pair of gloves. Walking up to the counter, he tried his best to communicate with the woman working there about a package that hadn't been sent to the school on time.

"Rodriguez?" she asked in a slight, Faroese accent.

"Yes."

She left the room for a moment to find his mail, and then came back with a small box.

"Sorry about the delivery wait. Probably a mistake. You from Spain?"

"No, Mexico."

She stopped writing in a ledger-like book, and looked at him as if he'd said he was an alien from Mars.

"But I'm studying at the international school."

"Ohh…" she nodded quickly and went back to writing. He placed an envelope on the table to send, and traded in a few kroners when she asked for him to pay. Looking in his wallet, he noticed that the large sum he'd had at the airport was getting small.

"Do you know where I can withdraw money?" he asked the woman, gesturing to his wallet.

"ATM around the corner." She tilted her head and motioned to the left of the building.

"Thank you." Lito placed the package under his arm, shouldering the door to leave.

Heading left, he found the ATM and placed the box down to swipe his card. As the kroner flipped out of the machine into the slot, he heard a crunch of boots on wet gravel, and turned around as someone jumped him, throwing him against the brick wall. It was foggy and it happened too fast, however, so all he could see was the looming fist as it swung upward and made contact with his jaw. The sharp pain blinded Lito, and he ducked as he heard the whistle of air as another blow came towards him. The man-he assumed it was a man by the silhouette, though Lito's vision was tainted with spots of black- cried out angrily as his fist met the wall, a loud crack splitting the air.

Another of the men grabbed Lito, but the third, somewhere near the ATM, yelled loudly, "Leave it, go!" in a Faroese accent.

The second man's grip on Lito loosened suddenly, and became dead weight as he dropped. Lito turned, wondering how his assailant had been knocked to the ground. His vision adjusting, he felt Wolfgang connect with him.

"Behind you, move!" he commanded, and struck one of the men in the face with a backwards blow, taking him down with a hard kick in the abdomen.

The one near the ATM ran at him, knocking him onto the pavement. They rolled sideways into a dirty puddle, spraying the muck everywhere. Wolfgang kneed him in the stomach and rolled back, striking him in the face with the heel of his boot. The final man slumped to the ground, unmoving in the dirty street water.

Lito's eyes widened at the destruction around them, recognizing the men as the group outside the post office. "That was amazing!" he exclaimed, looking up at Wolfgang in frenzied excitement. "I mean, that was just…" he moved to pick up his kroner from one of the fallen attackers, stashing them in his jacket pocket. The box, leaning against the wall, was not damaged in the least, and Lito picked it up as well. Turning back to Wolfgang, he asked, "How… how did you do that?"

Wolfgang shrugged lightly, not bothered in the least by the three people he'd just seriously injured. "Fighting is easy," he replied slowly, as though coming to terms with the statement. "Fighting is what I do."

/

Kala looked up at the small window in the storage room, her heart beating as though she'd just run a mile. The only object visible through the glass was the line of ground that met the base of the sill, and a small sliver of gray sky. It rained nearly every week now, and she missed India's heat and cloudless days.

"Don't worry, Kala. Winter vacation is just around the corner. You'll get to visit your family soon."

Kala turned back and nodded at Riley, who sat at the table with Nomi and Will. Amanita was there too. Today was the first day they'd all met again in the basement, and they were gathered around a box Nomi had received from a "friend."

"What does this do?" Amanita asked, picking up a small, metallic-looking rectangle. "Never mind. I probably wouldn't understand it anyways."

"Who did you say your friend was again?" Will watched the box suspiciously; as though he were afraid any second it would explode.

"His name's Bug. He owes me a few favors… Took a hell of a lot of explaining to the Prefects when they found it."

"Wait, Bug? Is it because he, like, hacks and listens in on stuff?" Amanita's grin grew larger and she rummaged further through the box; picking up items and tossing them back inside with intense curiosity.

"Well actually it's because his first name is Burgess, but it all worked out in the end. Anyways, I'll have everything we need to decrypt where Kala's digital card was sent from, and track down the number to the place."

Kala pushed a crate aside and sat on the edge of the table. "How long will that take?"

"Who knows? This person isn't that good with technology, but they were good enough to password protect the location the text was sent from. So it might take some time until I can-." Nomi paused and stared at the tarot cards lying on the table, her eyes widening in realization.

There were eight in all, as Lito, Nomi, and Wolfgang had received theirs earlier that month.

"Guys… lay out the cards for me…" Nomi searched around the storage room, her hair whipping back and forth as she moved quickly among the shelves.

"Wait, what? Nomi, what are you looking for?" Amanita held up her hands, and looked at the other three. "What is up with her?"

"Found it, okay." Nomi was back with a pen and a new stack of paper, folding one piece horizontally. "Go, go, what are you waiting for? Read the circled letters aloud."

Will grabbed the cards and flipped them over so that the titles and the picture were face up. He took Kala's phone and placed it alongside the rest. "Okay," he began, "here are the letters: A, V, T, I, E, S, another I, N, H, another A. And that's it. Wait, there are numbers written here. Looks like a 22 and a 24…"

"Frea-ky," Amanita said in a sing-songy voice, grimacing at the cards.

Nomi finished writing and set the pen down. "So I guess someone _is_ trying to contact us. But why with tarot cards? That's got to be the slowest and most cryptic way ever."

"Well, we don't know what those letters mean. They could be anything." Will frowned, looking at the meaningless word.

"Yes, but I'm nearly one hundred percent sure that it spells out a place. It's just like an anagram, guys. We can figure this out." She looked at their blank stares and sighed. "Or we can go online. I'll cross check it with Google. I can't _believe_ I didn't see this before until now."

Will smiled and grabbed his coat from where it hung on a shelf. "Thanks a lot, Nomi. I'm going to go find if someone has a detailed map of the island they can give us. Riley, are you coming?"

"Thanks for making me feel like Velma!" Nomi yelled after the two, her voice strained.

Kala tilted her head and stared at Amanita, who was sitting in one of the foldout chairs and cackling loudly. As the three girls packed up the box and computer, the door to the storage room opened suddenly, and a Prefect stood at the entrance. She crossed her arms and looked around the space with a sweeping gaze.

"Okay, everyone out, it's not time to fool around in here. Get back to your Houses. Nomi, what are you doing?" she asked, zeroing in on the table.

"Nothing. Just a tarot card reading. We're practicing for Halloween."

The girl stared at her for a second; nodding her head slowly like they were all crazy. "Right… I'm giving you five minutes to clean up. Don't let me catch you down here again," she added, looking pointedly at Amanita and Kala.

Amanita raised her hands in mock surrender. "No problem." Waiting until the girl left, she turned to Nomi and smiled, clasping together her hands. "Can I please have that box of stuff Bug sent you? I mean it's not like you even need it now. The fortune teller gave us the location anyway."

Nomi hoisted the box up into her arms, and looked at Amanita skeptically. "How do you know it's a fortune teller?"

"It's kind of obvious. Those cards look like they were specially handcrafted. And I'm no detective or anything, but of all the things a fortuneteller would use to send a message, tarot cards are probably up there on the list. You said it yourself. This is cryptic. And if there's one thing fortunetellers love more than drama, it's that."

Nomi shook her head, unconvinced. Opening the door for the others, she muttered, "Yeah. Try finding a fortuneteller in the land of sheep."

/

Lito returned to the school around two in the afternoon. Opening the door and placing the package in his dorm, he walked down the stairs again to the living room, and was met with Hernando.

"Oh my God." The boy placed a hand to his mouth in shock. "What happened to your face?"

"What?" Lito touched his jaw and winced, remembering the heavy punch that had taken him down during the fight.

"Your face…someone hurt you. Come here." Hernando walked to the kitchen, and Lito reluctantly followed. Sitting him down on a bar stool, Hernando went to find a Ziploc bag. When he returned, he filled it with ice cubes, and pressed it against Lito's jaw.

Lito shuddered and gazed around the room, hoping no one would show up. Even though he was just tending to his bruise, it felt intimate and secret.

Hernando smirked and shook his head as he passed the bag to Lito. "Are you going to relax, or no? You need to stay calm if you want me to help." He leaned back against the counter, watching him with a reserved look in his eye.

Lito sighed, and felt his cheeks and ears tingle as he blushed. "I know. Thank you for this."

"Don't worry. It's nothing." Hernando stayed for a moment, then thought better of it and left.

Glancing over, Lito noticed Wolfgang sitting in the chair next to him, shaking his head.

Lito turned away, trying to avoid another pitying glance. "Don't look at me like that. You lie to the people you care about too." He waited for Wolfgang to speak, to blame him or even laugh at him, but he was gone, and Lito felt more alone than ever.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Another fight in this chapter because why not? Apparently this is the longest chapter so far in Sense Teens. Hmm... I was so excited about where the story was heading that I literally wrote this chapter from the day I published the last chapter to the next day. And then I edited and kept writing for the rest of the time. Also, I've been listening to a lot of creepy music as inspiration, because Halloween is coming to the Board next chapter! This is my first "Holiday special." It may have two parts, or it'll just be really long. Besides this, I'm also thinking of having three more Specials throughout the story: Thankgiving, Christmas or New Years, and Valentine's Day. I just love the idea of having a holiday as a chapter theme. Also, thank you to whomever sent the Guest review from yesterday. It's great getting feedback about the story. And yes, I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT SEASON 2. YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT IS TO CONTAIN THIS EXCITEMENT. Anyways, next chapter coming on the 15_ _th_ _. I may move the update to a different time as people go back to school/work (including me). But for now it's the same. I hope all of you have an awesome rest of the week!_

 _~C.o.D._


	18. Chapter 18- Halloween in Hvitanes

_Chapter 18: (October 31)_

"You got a message."

Riley was in House 1 eating lunch with Will when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Nomi.

 _Found the location._

 _Who's ready to go?_

 _Meet tonight at the fountain._

 _8 o'clock._

Will set his glass of water down and looked at his watch. "That gives us about nine hours until we leave." His phone buzzed a second time as someone in the group message texted back. It was Nomi again.

 _Might want to find out who helped w/ cards first._

 _Definitely someone we know._

"Kind of obvious, Nomi…" Will said, shutting his phone off.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Nomi scoffed, visiting the two. She sat down at the table with them, grabbing a slice of toast from a plate. "I was up the entire week trying to find the location. It should have taken less time, but the Internet hasn't been too much fun lately with this awful weather. Makes me kinda miss the States."

Riley stood from her seat and walked over to one of the windows. Pulling aside the curtain, she could see small drops of water trapped in a spider's web above the window catch. Many of the surrounding trees were bare, and a light frost was covering the ground. "It's so strange that it's almost winter," she said in a barely audible whisper.

"What are you going as for Halloween? A cop? Dracula? Baldur the security guard?"

"I have no idea, Nomi. I think there comes a point in the teenage years when people no longer 'go' as anything." Will laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And do they even have Halloween here?"

Riley walked back to sit at the table. "This is the Faroe Islands. Not an alien planet."

"If we're going out in public during a holiday, we'll all need to be dressed up differently. Anyways, I have to go… see you guys soon." Nomi ended the visit and looked around Amanita's room in House 3. Kala was there too, holding up a dark red fabric against her skin.

"Nomi, were you spacing out or something?" Amanita walked through the open door, holding a large box of fabrics under one arm, and a small sewing machine under the other.

Nomi quickly stood and grabbed the box from her, setting it down on the floor. "I can't believe you're making all these costumes from scratch. And did Kala even volunteer for this or…?"

Amanita looked at Kala, as did Nomi. Kala's eyes widened and she said, "I'd be glad to help."

Amanita grinned and set the sewing machine down. "Awesome. It's nothing elaborate-."

"Why do I feel like that's _exactly_ what this is going to be?"

Amanita grabbed some spools of thread from the box, throwing them on one of the beds. "Hey, I thought you wanted costumes. If not, I can just work on mine. It involves lace and fishnets," she whispered, winking.

On the other side of the room, Kala flushed and dropped the red fabric.

Nomi sat down on the ground again, folding her legs. "I did want costumes, but nothing too crazy. I don't want you spending the entire day cooped up in this room. You might want to go downtown or something, hang out with people."

"Well I don't need to go now, because I'm going with you tonight anyways."

Nomi looked over at Kala and sighed. "You told her?"

Kala shook her head. "No. She read my messages."

Amanita watched the both of them and then placed her hands on her hip, making her look like a rather serious parent. "Okay, I realize I'm not one of you…sensates, but I kind of deserve to go with you. I almost got my _ass_ kicked out of the Board to find information."

"Yes, but that information was useless in the long run. I only found out the address last night, from the picture of the cards." Nomi grabbed a small piece of paper from her pocket, and showed the other girls.

Amanita leaned forward to see the word scrawled in Nomi's handwriting. "That's not even in Hoyvik. We'll have to walk at least twenty minutes to get there."

Kala was distracted by a sudden text message on her phone. Reading it, she looked up and apologized. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I hope you have fun making your clothing." She nodded to the both of them and left the room, but not without first grabbing her coat from a hanger in the girls' closet.

/

Walking through the doors of the School, Kala made her way up a flight of stairs, gazing back in hopes of not getting caught by another teacher.

She looked at the text message again and located the room number on the second floor, only a few rooms down from where her history class was held. Music poured from the room, flowing hauntingly down the empty hallway.

Opening the door, Kala stood in the narrow entrance. "I've never been in the music room before. It's lovely, the piece you were playing," she said softly, as though the music was a kitten that would be frightened away by the smallest of sounds.

Camille stood from her seat, and leaned against the body of the piano, looking at Kala blankly. "Of course it was. I've been playing music since I could stand."

"You wanted to meet?" Kala asked, wondering why the girl seemed so unfriendly.

"Oh yes, Myra gave me your cell phone number. I wanted to talk about something."

Kala grew uneasy as the girl circled around the piano once, and then came to stand directly in front of her. Camille was only a few inches taller, but already the girl seemed to loom over Kala like a cold, dark cloud.

"I know it must be hard for you to understand," she said in a sickly sweet voice, "but I just wanted to make sure that now, with Wolfgang and I, there are, what's the term, 'no hard feelings?'"

"Why would there be if we've already told you there aren't?" Kala responded assertively. She wasn't a fighter like other members of her cluster, but she did know how to stand up for herself.

" _D'accord_. " Camille smiled, and walked out of the room, letting the door swing shut. As Kala heard the click of the door close, she stared up at the ceiling.

 _I'm not going to get upset,_ she thought to herself as coldness washed over her, not unlike being submerged under water. She blinked and the feeling was gone. Kala didn't know why, only that Sun was connecting with her, giving her the strength to fight against her emotions.

/

Wolfgang was in the living room of House 2 when he checked his phone and noticed the messages from Nomi. Sighing, he pushed the phone into his back pocket, trying his best to ignore the guilt of not responding. He felt as though the other seven always got along, while he was the outcast of the group. They were good and caring people, unlike him. The only one of the group he'd had an easy time connecting with was Kala. Although they couldn't have been more different, he felt strangely at ease with her.

"Wolfgang. Wolfie, what's going on?"

" _Was?_ "

Felix grinned and punched Wolfgang lightly in the shoulder. "You were thinking about a girl? Yes, I can tell. It's that blonde girl you were partnered with for that project, right? What's her name—Camille?"

Wolfgang shook his head slowly, and said nothing. Felix wouldn't understand how he felt. Finally he said, "No, it's not…Camille."

He sat upright on the couch, a sudden thought coming to mind. "There's something I need to do."

"Are we still going to town or what? It's Halloween!" Felix yelled after him, as Wolfgang walked out the door and down the stairs. The autumn wind was chilling, and he stuffed his hands in his jean pockets.

"Wolfgang!" It was Lito, following after him as he had ever since the fight.

"What is it? I'm busy." Wolfgang walked towards House 1, pushing past the other students crowding around the fountain. It seemed that someone had dumped a vat of red dye in, and now the fountain shot arcs of pink water into the air.

"I'm trying to stay away from Daniela. She follows me everywhere… hey, why are you going to the dorm?"

"I just realized who I think sent us those cards."

"Ah. Did you come to give them a little beating up?" Lito followed Wolfgang up the steps. After knocking at the door, a girl opened and warily looked at them.

"Yes?"

Wolfgang pushed past her and walked up the stairs to the rooms.

"Hey!" the girl yelled. "Boys aren't allowed on the second floor!"

Lito saw Riley cautiously come out from the dining room, confused at the sudden commotion.

"What's happened?" she asked.

" _He_ went up there to find someone."

They jogged up the stairs, and a few seconds later saw Wolfgang walk into a room down the corridor. Entering the room as well, they found Camille at a desk, reading from a small, hardcover book. She pretended not to notice for a little while, and then looked up at the three of them.

"It's three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. Don't all of you have something else to do? _Alors_?" She shut her book with a loud thump, setting it aside.

Wolfgang took out the tarot card from his wallet, showing it to Camille. "I never told them who I got it from, but you gave me this. You said it was a gift, and when I asked you who really gave it to you, you wouldn't say. So has it been you this entire time? Is it a threat? Did the woman get one too before she disappeared?" He slammed the card down onto the desk, the table lamp perceptibly shaking from the force.

Looking at Riley and Lito, she turned back to scowl at Wolfgang. "You met through 'some friends,' hmm?"

"Don't bring Kala into this," he whispered, clenching his hands.

Camille was absolutely livid. "Well you must know it wasn't me. I don't care about your _stupide_ teacher friend. I was only doing what I was asked, you know. It was one card. Yours." She lifted her chin towards Wolfgang, and looked at Riley.

"Who asked you? We only want to know to see if it has to do with the missing teacher. That's it. We're not trying to blame you," Riley said, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"I can't tell you. And I don't want to now, because all of you are bothering me." Camille stood from the chair and grabbed her book, shouldering her way past Lito.

"Oh, she's cold," the boy muttered, folding his arms as she slammed the door shut.

" _Definitivamente._ " Riley agreed.

/

Later that night, Amanita came out of the bathroom and walked down the hall to her dorm, showing off her costume to Kala and Nomi. The short dress was red, and, as Amanita had promised, involved an embarrassing amount of black lace and fishnets.

Kala gaped at the immodesty, wondering what her parents would think if they'd been in the room with her at that moment.

"Oh come on Kala; it's not that bad. Here, I made you a costume too, because you said you didn't bring anything." Amanita dug through the box and pulled out a lovely white gown.

Kala wondered if it would be as scanty as Amanita's outfit.

" _Trust_ me. You'll look fucking gorgeous." Amanita shoved the dress in Kala's hand and pushed her down the corridor to the bathroom. "Hurry up, we have ten minutes!"

Other girls from the dorms walked in and out of the room, grabbing purses and leaving with their own group of friends. A majority of them wore costumes as well. Closing the door to the bathroom, Kala removed her current outfit and slipped the dress on. The sleeves belled out at her elbows, and the dress was short enough that it did not impede her walking. She left her hair as it was, dangling just above her waist in a spill of raven-colored curls.

Pursing her lips, she walked out of the bathroom carefully; afraid any movement would somehow ruin the dress. Amanita and Nomi were waiting in the hall outside.

"Aww, Kala! You look so nice. Seriously. I would probably date you."

Amanita glanced at Nomi and added, "In the most platonic way ever, of course."

Nomi ignored this and pushed her glasses up, smiling.

"What about you?" Kala asked, noticing Nomi's lack of costume.

"I've got my rainbow extensions-courtesy of Amanita- and my red contacts. See?" She took off her glasses and widened her eye so that the color was visible in the dim light of the hallway. "I'm good to go."

They descended the steps and walked out the door with a few other students. The weather outside was freezing, and Kala was glad that that she'd brought a warm scarf. The air contained sounds of skittering leaves and the laughter of teenagers. Students ran everywhere, and the candles that flickered in windows illuminated the otherwise dark courtyard. As they approached the fountain, Nomi could make out the six sensates. Riley wore a long dress and an elegant mask, and Will had a suit on. The others looked cleaned up as well. The only one who wore his normal, dark clothing was Wolfgang. He watched Kala, but looked away quickly when the three girls joined the group.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked, lowering his gaze to the ground as if it interested him more than the people around him.

Nomi zipped up her jacket and coughed. "I guess we are," she replied, unfolding the paper with the mystery word. "We're going to spend this Halloween in Hvitanes."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Camille enjoys her dramatic exits. I decided to move update time to every Saturday. According to my view stats, it'll give everyone an opportunity to catch up on recent chapters as the [school] year starts again. Thank you to Missy for the guest review yesterday. I wish I'd thought of a Halloween dance when I wrote the chapter! Maybe there's a certain dance in the nearby future... As you can see, this is only the first part of the Halloween chapters. On a side note, I am currently working on a Sense8 one shot that should be released December-ish. Hope all of you have an awesome week! Next Saturday, the 22nd, we visit the (somewhat) quiet village of Hvitanes…_

 _~C.o.D._


	19. Chapter 19- Wheel of Fortune

_Chapter 19: (October 31)_

"Are you cold?" Will asked Riley, wrapping his arm around her to shield her from the bitter wind.

She shook her head no, and looked up at him. He'd laughed when she had put the mask on, but it looked nice on her.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, poking him in the side for an answer.

He said nothing and turned his head to look at the others in front of him. Nomi had a map of Hoyvik, and was speaking quietly with Amanita and Lito. Sun had her arms folded and was walking next to Capheus, who kept talking about Van Damme. She would occasionally chuckle and bump into him intentionally when he made her laugh. On the farthest side of the group was Wolfgang, his black turtleneck making his blonde hair all the more shocking in the twilight. He'd seemed to fall back next to Kala, who never acknowledged his presence. Wolfgang, however, would occasionally steal quick glances her way, and then look back at the horizon. Will felt a pang of sadness as he linked with the two, and remembered Irsa's warning.

They passed through town and on to a small road away from the highway, all the while heading north.

Amanita bent down at one point, holding her hand up for them to stop a moment. "I can't keep walking," she wheezed. "I'm super out of shape."

"You're the one that wanted to come," said Nomi, looking down at the girl in concern.

"Yes, well, excuse me if I didn't realize how much it would hurt. Can't we just call a taxi or get a bus?"

Riley checked her phone. "No transit near here."

Nomi helped Amanita stand again. "A mile is really not that far. We should be there in ten minutes or so."

After what had felt a lot longer than ten minutes, the group finally reached Hvitanes. The road became smaller, and the sound of cars vanished as they came closer to the center of the quiet town.

"Will we make it on time?" Lito asked, gazing up at the starry night sky.

Nomi checked her watch and replied, "It's fifteen minutes 'til nine. We should if we hurry."

Amanita stopped in front of them again, forcing them all to look at her. "Okay, what's the plan here? We just march into this person's home or whatever, confront them, and then leave?"

It seemed that none of them had really given thought as to what they were going to do. Just then, another party of young adults walked past, talking loudly and singing in Faroese.

Amanita went over to one of them, a tall, dark-haired girl clad all in red. "Do you speak English?"

The girl paused and motioned for her friends to continue on. Turning back to Amanita, she nodded her head.

"Awesome. Do you have any idea where 22-24 A Hvitanesi is? I think it's an address. Or maybe a fortune teller's place or something?"

The girl chuckled and pointed down the road. "Yes. You go there, should be on right side. You better hurry, though; it gets busy during this day. Well, as busy as it can get _here_." The girl winked at Wolfgang and left them, jogging down the sidewalk to join her seven raucous friends again.

Amanita turned to Nomi and raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to say I told you so, but I did, didn't I?"

Nomi said nothing, just turned back to the map and continued walking. As they approached the brightly painted houses and shops, Sun pointed out a small duplex. Outside were wind chimes and a freestanding wooden sign.

" _Lagna_. It means destiny," Riley breathed softly, moving closer to the building. The window was cloudy and frosted over, so that nothing could be seen from the outside.

The others crowded around, and she slowly opened the door. It creaked as it swung outwards, and they all stepped into the dark entrance.

Dark velvet cloth hung across the ceiling, draping down onto the walls. A smoke machine installed in the corner of the room made it all the more difficult to see, and the strong smell of incense seemed to cover every inch of the space. Straight in front of them was a long corridor with blood red wallpaper, where candles flickered in small alcoves.

"It's a waiting room." Will observed, and his eyes alighted on the seats at the far end of the room. A young couple was sitting in two of them, and the large group moved to occupy the rest. Leaning over to talk to the couple, Riley asked how the fortunes worked.

"What did they say?" Will asked. He could hear haunting music coming from a speaker somewhere in the room.

"You wait until that bell rings." Riley pointed at a dull bronze bell hanging on a wire above their heads. "Then, you go to the door down the hall."

As she finished saying this, the bell sounded eerily and the couple got up from their seats, turning into the corridor.

"What time is it?" Capheus asked, glancing around at the others.

Wolfgang spoke from where he stood against the velvet wall, his hand resting on the back of Kala's chair. "Nine o'clock."

"It's fine, we're fine. We have an hour. We'll be okay," Lito murmured, bouncing his knee. It sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than the others.

Just as Amanita was growing impatient with sitting in the faux velvet-backed chair, the couple walked back down the hall, whispering. The girl went over to Riley and handed her a card.

"It's for you!" she giggled, and left with her boyfriend, both of them laughing as the door swung shut with a groan.

Wolfgang staredat Riley's hand. "If that is what I think it is…"

Riley tilted the card, trying to read the small letters. "It's the Wheel of Fortune."

Amanita blinked several times, nodding her head. "Of course! Because no Halloween is complete without yet another creepy tarot card!"

Just then the small bell chimed, and the sensates froze. Riley was the first to stand after the bell chimed again, and she slowly made her way down the corridor as the others followed. Stepping out from behind her, Will opened the door and entered into the large room, lit only by small candles on a table.

"Hello, everyone," called a youthful voice, as the nine teenagers moved into the room cautiously. "I knew it was just a matter of time before you found this place."

/

As there were not enough seats in the room, they all stood and looked around. A woman suddenly walked out from behind a red drape that ran across the large room, splitting it in half. Nomi judged her to be about their age, perhaps a year or two older. Her blonde hair was cut to the nape of her neck, and the lights from the candles were reflected in her large green eyes. She smiled and pulled up her purple gowns to sit comfortably in the armchair across from them.

Amanita was the first to speak.

"Wait. You? You're the one who's been sending us on this fucked up wild-goose chase?"

The woman sighed and placed her hands palms-down on the wood. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do to all of you."

Kala grabbed on to Wolfgang's arm as she realized whom the woman reminded her of. "Ms. Alvira?"

The fortuneteller turned her piercing gaze on Kala, searching her face. After a moment she said, "That is my mother. My name is Taika."

Nomi raised her eyebrows, and stepped forward. "I'm so sorry… we didn't know she had a daughter." The other sensates felt the same surprise run through them.

Taika rubbed at her jewelry-adorned fingers, the sound of her bracelets ringing through the air as they tangled with one another. "I should hurry, but there is a lot I must say. I suppose first, I should tell you what happened that day my mother disappeared. I was upstairs, where I make my home. This business has never been very large, but the tourists come during the spring and summer, and I make enough to live. My phone rang. I picked it up and heard my mother on the other end. She sounded frantic, and I heard a pounding of fists against a door, almost as if someone was trying to enter her house down in Hoyvik. I've always known what my mother was. I also know she wasn't meant to have me. But she was scared and very young and had not been rebirthed when she did. Anyways, she told me what had happened. That she had made another cluster, and she believed you to be at the school. It was destiny, I should think, that brought you all to the Board."

No one said a word until Wolfgang finally broke the silence. "Why do you believe in destiny? You're a fake."

Taika seemed to be taken aback, although there was a hint of a smile around her lips, as if she were also amused. "I'm a professional card reader and spiritual entrepreneur. Or are you saying that _real_ magic exists?"

Wolfgang was about to reply with a snappy remark when Nomi placed her hand on his shoulder for a second, quieting him.

"But," she started, "is it really so hard to pick up the phone and just say, 'Yes, hello? I need to talk to you about something very important.'"

"It would also be nice to know what _is_ so important," Amanita muttered under her breath.

"Listen, I know it would have made much more sense just to call all of you, but _they_ are listening." At the blank stares from the others, she continued with a sigh, her voice lowering to a whisper. "There are people that hunt others like you. Scientists. I think they may have been the ones to take my mother."

Will thought back to his first week at the Board. "That's what Irsa told me. That there was a person hunting us down."

Taika frowned and cocked her head to the side. "I don't know an Irsa."

"And we don't know who you are." Amanita interjected. "For all we know, this could be some trap."

"I already told you, I'm Laura's daughter. When she called, she told me to never let you out of my sight. I didn't know your names, but it was easy to figure out when someone at the school mentioned your birthdays. _And_ that you all fainted the day my mother disappeared. It couldn't have been a coincidence."

"The person that told you… that was the person who placed these cards for us to find, correct?" asked Sun, watching Taika carefully.

The fortuneteller looked back at the red curtain that separated their room and the unseen one. "Yes…" she said hesitantly, the curtains moving as though someone were pushing behind it. "But perhaps you should go home now."

"Taika," Nomi started, looking at the woman in concern. "What else did you need to say? Because 'be careful, kids' we've heard plenty of. Did you want us to find your mother?"

Taika turned to face them, still distracted. "What? No, no. My mother wouldn't want her students involved, or anyone. It's dangerous. And I have a feeling she's already gone."

"But then why would we find an email from our headmaster to-."

There was a slamming of a door, and the group turned again to look at the curtain. A figure stood behind the fabric, and its movemet caused the curtain to move back and forth a few inches, sweeping the floor with every motion.

Taika turned again to the curtain. "They already know you're back there. You don't have to come out if you don't want to."

The fabric moved as someone pulled it aside and stepped into the dim candle-light, red hair made all the more dramatic in the darkness.

Kala bit her lip forcibly, but sat still as the girl came to stand next to Taika.

"Holy shit." Amanita stared in awe at the girl. "Myra?"

The redhead nodded sheepishly, pulling at her hands as though she were trying to physically remove something. She seemed at a loss for words but finally said, "I know this may seem extremely unnerving. Especially since I know some of you." She glanced at Kala quickly, and then at the others. "But I didn't mean to make it threatening-."

"You were only doing what I asked," Taika added, her hoop earrings catching the light as she shook her head briskly.

"What, so you two _know_ each other?" Will asked in disbelief, his voice sounding strained as he spoke.

"Ever since I started at the school, a few years ago." Myra whispered, folding her hands to gain composure. "Streymoy is kind of enchanting, when you think about it. The surroundings, the people. I wanted to know more about the life here. And then, a few days after the semester started, Taika asked me to help all of you by finding out who you were, so that we could warn you…" Her voice trailed off and Kala let go of Wolfgang, stepping back suddenly.

Looking around, she saw that everyone's eyes were on her, and she flushed at the attention.

"Excuse me, I need to leave." Walking out of the room, she moved down the long red hall, and pushed the creaking door into the air. It was fresh of incense and choking heat.

She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing in slowly and then exhaling to release the tight ball of stress that had been living in her stomach.

Opening her eyes again, she heard the door groan loudly as the others walked out, accompanied by Myra. The redhead came over to speak to Kala, who held up her hand to stop her from getting any closer.

"Listen, please. I understand that you wanted to help us, but this is just a very… It is not a good time to talk. I need to be alone, thank you." Kala moved away from her friend, and walked further down the street, wrapping her scarf tighter and tighter to expel the cold.

She turned and felt someone at her side. Looking over she saw that it was Sun, standing next to her quietly. Neither girl said anything for a few seconds.

"Thank you for earlier today, with Camille," Kala murmured, tugging at her dress's sleeves.

Sun shook her head, her hands folded neatly behind her back. Nothing ever seemed to bother her.

"When I want something, I fight for it. I don't like mean girls like Camille, and I don't let them stop me."

Kala glanced over at Wolfgang who stood deathly still, watching the slope of the hillside as the others bickered over the fastest way to get home on time.

/

The large group had just entered the Board's gates when the security guard stationed there yelled to all the latecomers, "You have five minutes. You all better get signed in and go to your Houses!"

There was a long line at the Administration building, and Amanita tapped her foot impatiently as the clock on the other side of the wall ticked by.

"That's right Margaret, spell your name as _slowly_ as possible." She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wondering if she'd be able to count all the gray tiles in the time it took to get everyone signed in.

Nomi placed her hand on Amanita's shoulder. "Relax. At least we're here on time. Sort of. What did you think about all of _that_?"

Amanita didn't need to be reminded what "that" was, it seemed pretty clear with the night's events. "I have no idea. It's so bizarre that it was all just to find out that our teacher has a daughter. How old does that make Alvira?"

Nomi shrugged and pushed her glasses up. "I don't know. She seemed pretty young to me. But did you hear what Taika said at the end? She thinks her mother is gone. For good. Do you really think it has to do with the Headmaster?

"It definitely does, that guy is shady as hell. What I'm wondering is, what do we do now?"

Will, who was standing behind them with Riley, replied. "Now we do what we were apparently _meant_ to do when we came to the Board."

Amanita flipped her hair back and scratched at the itchy fabric of her tights. "Don't worry, Will. I want to graduate just as much as the rest of you."

The students in front of them moved out of the room, and they all signed in. Myra hung back, however, nervous about walking any longer with the group.

As the others all left for their own houses, Kala placed a hand on Wolfgang's arm, pausing him at the fountain.

He turned back to face her with a heavy sigh, but did not shrug her off.

"I was curious. Which one did Myra give you? The card. You never said which one was yours."

Wolfgang didn't seem to like this question, as he shook his head and tried to move past her.

"I just want to know. I didn't mean any harm."

"Why does it matter? Leave it, Kala."

She stared up at him, refusing to move. Without glancing away from her, he took out his wallet and the card inside, holding it up in front of her face.

"There. You wanted to know."

"The Devil? But it doesn't mean anything. Myra wouldn't…" She looked at the ugly card and winced.

The frustration in Wolfgang's expression melted away into sadness, or perhaps humiliation.

Kala felt this change in him and tried to find something to say, but it was too late, Wolfgang was already set on leaving.

"Goodnight, Kala." He gently moved past her and walked up to his House, entering his dorm room a few minutes later. The image of her face lingered as he closed his eyes and fell asleep that night.

 ***End of Part 4***

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Oh my goodness, it feels like it's been forever since I last updated. My vacation, unfortunately, is coming to an end as September rolls around. Next chapter coming on Saturday the 29. We've almost reached 20 chapters! That's crazy! I'm so excited, and I'm deciding on how many chapters are left, depending on where the story goes past the ones I've already written. Probably not nearly as many as I had hoped, since I've been writing lengthier parts lately. We'll see. I hope all of you have an awesome rest of the weekend, and next Saturday may or may not be Thanksgiving… hmmm. The mystery continues!_

 _~C.o.D._


	20. Chapter 20- Family Reunion

_Chapter 20: (November 26)_

The chilly November wind struck at the Houses, the sounds echoing throughout the courtyard like the howl of a lonely animal. That, as well as the buzz of her cellphone, awoke Nomi from a deep slumber.

She looked over at her alarm clock and almost jumped when she realized she'd slept in by half an hour.

Pushing her sheets away, she slipped out of bed and threw on her uniform. She was about to stuff the phone in her backpack when she remembered the alert, and opened her messages.

 _Where TF are u?_

 _Kala txtd me ur not in class_

 _Starts in 10 m. hurry up!_

 _M making rounds today_

Confused by Amanita's last sentence, but nonetheless grateful, Nomi shrugged on her jacket and ran down the stairs.

The wind hit her hard and she nearly toppled over in surprise, squinting to lessen the cold burn on her face. There was a light snow covering the cobblestone ground, and boot tracks crossed back and forth. Jogging to the Schoolhouse, she knocked on the door, hoping the security guard would let her in.

"You're almost late, get to your class," the man said, waving her in impatiently with his hand.

Muttering a quick thank you, she ran up the stairs and down the hall to History. The bell rang just as she slid into a desk near Kala. Her teacher raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and began his lecture while he passed out papers to the class.

Nomi had been writing notes diligently for more than half of the class time when the door suddenly opened, and Mr. Matheson entered. The class hushed, and the wind outside was all that could be heard. The Headmaster walked around and nodded to some students.

"Don't worry about me, carry on with your work," he said with a smile, continuing his stroll around the room. He eventually stopped next to Nomi's desk. He turned to the teacher and asked, "May I borrow Marks, here?"

The teacher nodded quickly, and resumed his writing on the chalkboard. All the students stared back at the Headmaster, their eyes widening in curiosity.

As she packed up her binder and slung her backpack on one shoulder, Nomi could sense Kala stiffen nervously at her desk. She sent the girl a reassuring feeling, and then followed the Headmaster out into the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Nomi asked, walking with him down the stairs and into a corridor near the entrance.

"My office, Marks. Just for a little chat." He reached the room, and opened the door for her, gesturing her in. "Ladies first."

Nomi walked into the office, and took a seat in one of the two small chairs placed in front of his desk. The room was very neat and pristine; almost exactly how Nomi had imagined it would look. On his desk were a basket of papers and a small picture frame, facing his direction. The computer she had hacked weeks ago was there too.

"Miss Marks, if I may have your attention."

Nomi turned her head quickly and stared at Matheson. His elbows were resting on the desk, his palms touching each other as if he was in prayer. He watched her, and then said, "It has come to my attention that, several weeks ago, my computer was hacked, and all the information copied from it. Now, I don't know when exactly this was, but, as I've seen from your file, you are-."

"You think _I_ hacked your computer?" Nomi asked, trying her best to sound incredulous.

"I was saying that you, among many other gifted 'computer scientists' here, are a likely candidate."

"I didn't do it. I mean, how could I, anyways? I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"You hacked into the Pentagon at the age of sixteen, Miss Marks. That's in your file as well."

"Well that doesn't mean I hacked into your computer," Nomi muttered. "What would I even need with your files?"

"I'd like to know myself." Matheson swiveled slightly in his high chair, staring Nomi down as though a confession would suddenly write itself on her forehead.

Nomi sat poised in the seat, and looked back at him. After what felt like eternity, Matheson stopped his swiveling, and stood with a long sigh.

"You can go, Miss Marks. But leave your computer, please. It's just going to a check with people in the tech department."

"What gives you the right to go through my personal things?"

"Hacking into the school's mainframe is a very serious thing indeed. Should you have done it, you might be expelled. Or worse."

Nomi nearly shuddered as he said this, but grabbed the laptop out of her backpack instead, and placed it on his desk. Zipping her bag shut, she turned and walked out of the room, trying her best not to slam the door as she did so. Of course he would want to check through her and other students' computers. There was a lot of information about grades and medical history in the database.

 _But is there another reason?_ Nomi wondered, loitering around at the base of the stairs so she wouldn't have to go back to class. As the bell rang, a wave of students walked down to the first floor and dispersed to other halls and classes. Kala was among them, and she quickly moved towards Nomi.

"What happened?" she whispered, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

"Matheson thinks I hacked his computer. He wants to keep my laptop and check what's on it."

Kala's eyes widened. "But they'll find the information."

"No way. Kala, I'm not stupid enough to leave that stuff on there. The day after Halloween I deleted all traces of it. It's not like we need it anymore. Anyways, how are things with Myra? It's been almost a month since the card thing."

Kala sighed and shook her head slowly. "There isn't anything to say. She just wanted to help us."

"Yeah. It must be awkward, though."

Kala looked off in the distance behind Nomi, seemingly daydreaming. Finally she smiled and walked down the corridor. Nomi watched her leave, and then left for her own class as well.

/

Sun didn't move as Capheus slid his tray of food next to her, and sat down at the dinner table. She placed her fork down and wiped her mouth on a napkin, setting it aside carefully.

"Did you know today is Thanksgiving in America?" Capheus asked, opening a pack of salad dressing, and pouring it over the vegetables in the small plastic bowl.

"Yes, I did." Sun turned and looked at him calmly, wondering what he wanted to say.

"It is a sort of family tradition, you know, for Americans. Apparently they have a big table, and they have lots of food, and there is the family all there…" Capheus trailed off, lost in thought.

"Capheus. You were saying?" Sun waved her hand in front of him, trying to get his attention.

"Yes, so. Have you talked to your father?"

Sun glanced back at her food, her appetite disappearing. The first month she'd met Capheus, they'd spoken about their homes. Sun had tried to avoid talking about her mother's death, and her father's complete lack of parenting. But it was impossible, of course; Capheus knew exactly what was going through her mind. He could tell her childhood had not been a happy one.

"No. I haven't talked to him since I left. And I'm glad. He always wanted only a son, and he has that now. I don't exist for him."

"I'm sure that's not true. If I could talk to my mother, I would. But I can't until I go back to Nairobi in December."

Sun chose her next words carefully, not sure how it would sound to her friend. "I know. But you love your mother. Your mother loves you, Capheus. I don't want to go back home for the winter. And I don't want to call my father."

Capheus watched as Sun stood and took her tray, throwing away the remaining food and walking out of the Dining Hall.

/

Nomi placed her bag on the sofa in her House's living room, and sat in one of the comfortable leather chairs. She thought about starting her essay for English, but remembered that Mr. Matheson had had her laptop confiscated.

"Great," Nomi murmured to the ceiling, the tapping of rain drowning out her voice. "Not only does he see all my personal stuff, but I can't even do my homework." She heard her phone suddenly buzz from her pocket, and took it out to read the caller ID.

Nomi felt a cold wash over her as she recognized it. There had been no communication between her and her family since August, when she'd received a vague email congratulating her eighteenth birthday.

Sliding her finger across the screen to answer, she held up the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Michael."

"Mom." Nomi stuttered, wondering what to say. "W-we haven't spoken since I came to the Board."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. There's something we need to talk about."

"Is something wrong? Did something happen at home?"

"No, of course not, no. I just realize that, since the end of the semester is getting close, and all of you are leaving in December for vacation…"

Nomi stiffened in her seat, wondering what her mother was getting at. "What are you trying to say? Is this about me again?"

"Michael, honey, I'm sorry. We were kind enough to forgive you after you got your little surgery behind our backs. At 16! And of course that, and all the illegal computer things you were doing. I didn't even recognize you as my son anymore."

"I _know_ that you sent me to the Board because you hate what I did. Who I really am."

"That's not true. We don't hate you. I did what was best for the family and sent your application. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't even know of your existence. I did you a _favor_."

"Wow. I feel so grateful right now," Nomi replied sarcastically, trying to stop the wavering in her voice.

"As I was saying…"

"You don't want me to come back for Winter Break, is that it?"

"Well, your father and I talked about it. You're eighteen now, you can take care of yourself and-."

"I can't believe this is happening. What does this even mean?" Nomi stood and clasped her hand over her forehead, pacing back and forth across the expensive Persian carpet.

"It means you can't come back for winter break. You can't come back at all. I'm sorry, but it's for the good of the family. I'll send you some money monthly until you find a place after graduation, alright, Michael?"

"I don't believe this. I don't need you and your money. And my name isn't Michael!" Nomi shut her phone and threw it at the sofa, where it bounced off and fell on the floor. She slowly slid down the front of the chair and rubbed her eyes, not realizing that she'd been crying until the hot tears fell on her hands and down her arms.

A sound of the front door opening and closing resonated throughout the House, and Nomi quickly wiped her tears away, hoping none of her dorm-mates would walk in on her emotional moment.

"Nomi, are you there? Riley? Is someone home?"

Amanita walked into the living room a few seconds later, and rushed over to Nomi's side.

"Oh my God, Nomi, what happened?" She sat down next to her, stroking Nomi's hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"My mom just kicked me out of the over the phone. I can't go back. Ever."

Besides shushing her soothingly, Amanita remained quiet. After a few seconds she started laughing, and Nomi pushed herself off the ground to look at her.

"Why are you laughing? This is serious. I have nowhere to _live_!"

Amanita smiled apologetically and looked up at Nomi. "I know, I'm sorry. But I've never seen you cry before. Your nose gets all red and it's so cute." She laughed again, and Nomi chuckled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt. Amanita stood and hugged Nomi, murmuring into her shoulder, "Listen, you're coming with me to my house in December. Okay?" Nomi started to interrupt, but Amanita patted the girl's back reassuringly. "Not buts. You're also going spend summer vacation with me. I'm here for you; you don't need to cry. Family problems are not fun, I know. But you'll get better. I promise."

Nomi stepped back and smiled, rolling her eyes up and wiping at her face again.

"So," Amanita began, trying to change the conversation. "Have you talked to Will recently?

Nomi shook her head and sat down on the couch. "No. He seems kind of in his own bubble recently. Just studying, going on jogs sometimes. Don't think he's gone to town since Halloween."

Amanita sighed comically and pursed her lips, falling onto the couch next to her. "Well, you know how he is. He has something of a hero complex, I think. Not solving the whole 'where did the teacher go' mystery kind of would do that to him."

"What do we do now? We found out about the tarot cards and the creepy science men. But what's the next step? Is there _even_ a next step?"

Amanita shrugged and stared at the small fire, inviting and warm compared to the chilling weather outside. After a few minutes, she finally spoke. "I want to find out about Matheson. Why would he lie to the police unless he was involved in the kidnapping somehow?"

"The Headmaster?" Nomi scoffed. "No, I saw how he acted. He's not bad; he's just… Annoying. That guy reads _Shakespeare_ for fun. He probably hasn't left the Board since he started working here. Maybe he just lied to keep everyone calm and stuff. I'd do the same if it was me."

"Nah, something is wrong here. I've felt it ever since we hacked into the computer. The guy is definitely off…"

/

Matheson froze as he heard the knock on his door. "Come in," he said, and shifted in his seat.

The door opened and in walked a man, dressed in a dark suit. His coat was slung over an arm, and he slowly moved to one of the chairs.

"Hello. Nothing to say?" The man sat down, his coat making its way to rest on the other chair.

Matheson felt his hands start to shake, and he clasped them together under his desk to hide the fact. "How are you? I hope your trip was safe?"

The opposing looked at him coolly, and tapped his fingers on the chair's arm. "This is a business meeting, you understand. To discuss the two things I called you about."

"Y-yes, yes, of course," Matheson stammered, remembering the recent phone calls.

"So. This girl. You said she was gifted with electronics?"

"Yes. I checked her computer, just as you said. Nothing. I even had my best technician take a run on it, but if she found anything, it's gone."

"Has she been around any other students? Any close bonds, perhaps?"

Matheson laughed, and shook his head. "You know as well as I that all these students are gifted. They either form close bonds, or make no friends at all. It's the unfortunate reality of such precocious children."

The man nodded his head slowly, and turned to look around the office, taking in every detail, including the picture frame on the desk. A sneer seemed to form on his face as he saw this, and he asked, "Feeling sentimental, are we?"

"What else did you need to talk about?" Matheson itched at his forehead to hide the beads of sweat.

"The woman. Did you take care of it?"

"Look, I helped lead everyone in this miserable town- including the police, might I remind you- off the trail of one of my employees. The least you could do is be grateful!" Matheson felt himself grow hot in anger, and he dug his knuckles into his palm to calm himself. He hated the knowing look on the other man's face.

"Oh, you _were_ always the emotional one. 'The least you could do is be grateful,' do you listen to yourself? I rid this place of the sensate teacher that was working here. Can you imagine what would have happened if she had birthed a cluster without my knowledge? More traveling the world, trying to find them, and bringing them back to Iceland. She was already a mess by the time my men caught up with her in Hoyvik. If she'd been smart, she would have left the country immediately. I don't know why she didn't." The fact of not knowing something seemed to bother the man a lot, and he rubbed his chin contemplatively.

"Why must you compel yourself to do this?" Matheson started. "What possible reasoning would you have for kidnapping the woman? I could just turn you over to the police."

"But you won't. And you never will; I know you too well. She's past saving, anyway. Oh don't look at me like that." The man leaned back in his chair and curled his lip in disgust as he saw Matheson turn pale, and then a sick yellow. "It was her fault she held out for so many months. She was keeping something from me, and when the methods of extracting information weren't enough, well…"

Matheson removed his glasses and felt a sour taste at the back of his mouth. "What else? Please, I'd like to cut this meeting short."

The man stood and grabbed his coat from the other chair. "The boy. We agreed that he should come with me for a few months as an internship. With credit from the school, of course. These are the papers."

"I've already talked with the board of education. They've agreed to let him extend his studies over seas until early spring," Matheson signed the papers with an elegant fountain pen, and pushed them back across the desk.

The man smiled, although it seemed cold and not in the least genuine. "Wonderful. Let me call him over." He walked out of the office, and came back in followed by Rajan.

Matheson forced his own smile, and shook hands with Rajan. It was obvious to all that the boy was uncomfortable, although his handshake was firm.

"I'm very glad to be given this opportunity. Thank you." His voice wavered as he stared back and forth between the two adults.

"There is no problem at all," Matheson replied. "Have you packed all your things?"

"Yes, but there's just one person I must talk to before I leave. May I?"

Matheson nodded his head curtly, and Rajan shook his hand again before leaving the office.

The man turned towards the door, but looked back at Matheson one final time. "This isn't a family reunion. Rajan will be safe and well educated, I promise you. Goodbye."

Matheson sighed in relief as the door shut close, and placed his hands over his face. Looking up, his eyes were attracted to the picture in the frame. It was an old black and white photo of a couple, standing in front of a house with two small boys. Shuddering, he took the picture and placed it in a desk drawer, locking it again with a tiny brass key.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _We've reached chapter 20! How exciting! Anyways, here is a longer "Thanksgiving Special" chapter for all of you. I've been reading a lot about Sense8 Season 2 lately. Tina Desai (Kala) said in a Tweet that she was taking kickboxing lessons…hmm. Interesting. A fight involving Kala? Anyways, hope all of you have an awesome weekend!_

 _~C.o.D._


	21. Chapter 21- A Few Weeks

_Chapter 21: (December 18)_

Kala looked out the window at the swirling flakes of snow. They spun around each other quickly, mixing with sheets of rain. Tonight, when the temperature dropped further, it would all turn into dangerous ice.

Picking her way through her wardrobe, she found the white dress she'd worn on her birthday. It was slightly wrinkled, and she placed it gently in her luggage bag with her other belongings. The dress reminded her of Rajan, and the party that had lead her to the other sensates. She also remembered the night he'd come to visit her so abruptly, only a three weeks before.

" _Kala, I'm leaving today. I'm going to Iceland, to study in a laboratory there."_

" _That's wonderful. For how long?"_

" _Two months. Maybe three. I will see you again in the spring, I think. Goodbye."_

Then he'd leaned down and kissed her, right there in her living room _._ She'd felt slightly mortified at the action, and guilty as well. As he left, she didn't think about him or that that had been the first time she'd been kissed. Only about what Wolfgang would think if he knew.

Leaning against the window now, she thought back to the previous months. How was it that an entire semester had already passed? She'd longed for India since arriving at the Board, but now she felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought of leaving.

Removing the last of her clothes from the wardrobe, she zipped up the bag and sat down on the edge of her bed to look at her hands. They were pale and thin, thinner than they had been at the beginning of the year. Studying herself the way she would have studied a specimen under a microscope, she noticed that she wasn't healthy in the least. Her throat hurt, and her appetite waned throughout the day.

Capheus connected with her, and sat down on the edge of the bed as well.

"You don't feel good?" he asked, looking at her in a knowing manner.

"No, I don't. I'm afraid studying has been bad for my health."

Capheus shook his head and leaned back to stare up at the bottom of the top bunk. "Kala, it is not studying that had done this to you. It is the stress. You are not taking time to be a normal adolescent."

"I'm not a normal adolescent," she reminded him, leaning back as well. The blanket was soft and confortable under her head, and she closed her eyes.

Capheus laughed heartily and clasped his hands together in his lap. "Yes, I know. We are not normal. We'll visit each other?"

Kala smiled and nodded, opening her eyes once more. "It'd be a good idea. I've never seen Africa."

Capheus was gone then, and Kala sat and looked around at her dorm mates' open luggage and suitcases. Tomorrow they would all leave and go back home. Some of the eighteen year olds that had nowhere to go had decided to stay at the hotel in Torshavn. Sun was among them, and Capheus had tried many times to encourage her to go home. Yet she still refused, and had secluded herself from the rest of them. Wolfgang too was showing some concerns about returning to his home. Kala had often wondered if these resentments had to do with his feelings of Germany.

"Hey. You awake?"

Kala looked out from her bunk. Amanita was at the entrance of the room, holding a box of her belongings.

"Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about how I'm going to miss it here."

Amanita clicked her tongue and set the box down, shuffling through its contents while speaking. "Ha, not me. But, before you know it, we'll be back here again."

"You're going to San Francisco with Nomi, correct?" Kala asked, moving to help Amanita with the contents of the box.

"Her parents kicked her out, so… it's kind of the only option."

"Well it's very nice of you. I'm sure she'll be happy."

Amanita slowed down in her work, looking off into the distance. "Mmm-hmm. I'm sure she will."

Kala looked at the girl sideways, and then lifted her eyebrows and continued. Finally packing up all her items, Amanita sighed and leaned onto the duffel bag.

"Ugh, I just want to go _home_."

"Same."

Kala and Amanita both turned to look at Nomi, who had entered the room. Sitting on one of the bunk beds, she shrugged and removed her glasses.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

Amanita shook her head. "Nope. But we should go to bed early if we want to catch the plane tomorrow."

The girls were silent for a minute as the thought of going home sunk in, and then Nomi stood and left for her House.

/

Riley shivered at the wind that seemed to blow _through_ her rather than at her. Will looked down and grinned slightly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She was a pretty sight in her green parka, with her white-blonde hair tousled from the strong breeze. The early Saturday morning air was fresh and cold as usual, of course, but there was something else. It was intangible, although Will thought it was excitement, and the hope of returning to each of their countries.

The sound of crunching gravel could be heard coming down the road, and both Will and Riley looked up again. Some security guards had been tasked with driving vans to the airport, as the buses never reached beyond Torshavn.

The other teenagers were eager as the sound became louder, and a lot of them whooped and cheered through the layers of bundles they had wrapped themselves in to protect against the cold.

Riley looked around quickly, wanting to sit in a van with the others. Someone touched her elbow, and she noticed Capheus at her side.

"Should we sit?" he asked, pointing to the back of an open van that had pulled up just then.

Nodding eagerly, Riley was helped into the car by the two boys, who sat on either side of her. She noticed Kala moving through the crowd, so small against the taller students. Finally reaching them, she climbed into the van as well. Capheus patted the spot next to him, and she smiled, her cheeks a blazing red from the winter chill. She was about to take off her gloves, but Will shook his head.

"It's a long drive to Sorvagur. You might want to keep those on."

Kala nodded, but she still looked distracted. Small flakes of snow were blowing in, and she shielded her legs with her bags.

"I don't think he's coming, Kala. Maybe he's leaving later today," Riley said.

Kala frowned slightly, but sat back in her seat as Amanita, Lito, and Nomi clambered into the van as well.

"Are we all ready?" the security guard called.

"Yup," Will replied, moving aside on the bench to allow space for the others.

The dozen or so vans drove past the gates and down the road, somehow managing to stay steady on the tiny, icy path. They passed the familiar copse of winter's bark, its thin branches stripped of leaves. The wind howled outside, and most everyone was dozing off to sleep. It seemed that nearly an hour passed before the van slowed down again, and the driver sighed.

"Okay. Remember your things, and have a safe trip. See you next semester!"

Riley grabbed her bag, and cautiously jumped off onto the pavement, followed by the others.

The airport looked the same as it had five months ago, except for the thin layer of snow covering the barren hills. The flat building was not welcoming in the least, but the hundreds of students finally entered and went their separate ways.

Huddled in a small group near the entrance, they all said their temporary goodbyes.

"Are you sure you want to go back to Iceland?" Will asked, holding Riley's hand in his own.

She raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes, of course. Don't worry. We'll be on the same plane."

Will tried to say that this wasn't why he was worried, but he hugged her instead and watched Kala over her shoulder. The girl was looking around the airport, but if Wolfgang was there, he'd hurried to his plane as soon as the vans had arrived.

"Kala," Will called to her, and Riley turned with a smile. "See you again in a few weeks, okay?"

Kala gave them a thumbs up, but the general feeling of sadness couldn't quite be shaken.

Capheus hugged all of them, his normally joyful demeanor tainted by the emotions surrounding him. "Poor Sun. We are all leaving, and she has to stay.'"

Nomi shook her head, shifting her weight to support the heavy bag hanging from her shoulder. "That was a choice. We can always visit her."

A call was sounded over the intercom for their flights, and they hurried with their bags to the planes outside, leaving behind the weight of schoolwork and classes. Even if _was_ only for a few weeks.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Shorter in-between-specials chapter today. How is school/work going for all of you? Can't wait for christmas vacation like these characters. We reached 8k hits (Really excited because "8")! I hope all of you have a nice weekend. Next chapter coming on the 12th. _

_~C.o.D._


	22. Chapter 22- We Are All Where We Belong

_Chapter 22: January 1_ _st_ _, 2016_

Nomi walked out onto the balcony of the two-story house. The early morning air was slightly chilly, but no coat was required for the Californian temperature. She could hear people chanting and laughing in the streets below, excited by the New Year.

"Having fun?" Amanita's mother walked onto the balcony, her feet bare and two cups of tea balancing on a tray.

"Yes. It's really nice here. Thank you again, Grace, for letting me stay with you."

Grace chuckled and shook her head, sitting down on a fold out chair. "Tea?"

Nomi graciously accepted the cup, and sipped the steaming liquid. She heard the sliding door open to the balcony, and both women turned to see Amanita step out in slippers and a bathrobe. Her hair was in tangles, and she yawned as she came to sit in another chair next to them.

"Ugh, I can't believe you're up. What time is it? I thought everyone went to bed after the fireworks."

"It's only been a half hour, I think. I couldn't sleep." Nomi murmured, fogging up her glasses with her breath, and cleaning them with the edge of her shirt.

Amanita lifted her face to the lightening sky and made a remark about sleepiness.

"Well, I'll leave you two. Maybe get you a cup of coffee instead of tea," Grace said with a friendly smile, her numerous necklaces jingling as she got up and went back in the house.

Nomi turned to look at the city lights in the distance. She thought about the days left until she'd have to return to the Board.

"Nomi. Are you okay? You seem really… contemplative."

Nomi looked back at Amanita. "Someone studied for their English finals." She sighed and rubbed at her wrists. "I was just thinking… we are all where we belong, but it doesn't feel like home."

Amanita guffawed and sat up, clapping her hands together. After she had gasped for air and the laughter had died down, she said, "Wow. Can I quote you on that? I'm serious, that would make a really good music lyric. Wait." Amanita turned to stare at Nomi, her eyes scrunching up in the darkness of the balcony. "You're not turning emo, are you?"

Grace came back out, halting the conversation. She handed each girl a saucer and cup of coffee.

Nomi drank hers, glad for the ability to think suddenly. After a few seconds a smile slowly formed itself on her face, and she set the saucer down. "Is now really a good time to be drinking coffee?" she asked.

Grace shrugged. "It's nine in the morning somewhere."

/

Wolfgang shifted his head away from the pillow, listening for the sound of footsteps outside of his room. Hearing none, he quickly slipped out of bed and dressed himself, hurrying down the stairs before any of his uncle's bodyguards or servants could find him. Making his way through the opened gate, he refused to look back and instead hurried down the road, heading towards the woods where he would be alone. Every step he took seemed to take him farther and farther away from the dangerous mansion. As he passed the tall, bare trees, he reflected on his arriving to Germany just a few weeks ago.

It had been cold, and he'd planned to stay at a hotel the entire vacation. But, of course, he was expected back in Berlin. He'd returned to his hotel room one day to find several men waiting for him. Knowing that resistance would be useless, he'd let himself be taken to the house. His uncle Sergei had welcomed him in an unusually warm way.

"Ah, Wolfgang," his uncle had started, his blue eyes lifeless and haunting. "I hope your studies went well?"

Wolfgang had had to avoid the overwhelming feeling to throw up and instead smiled pleasantly. "Of course. I'm returning there in January."

His uncle then had laughed, holding a drink to his lips. "Of course, my boy. Make yourself at home, then."

Wolfgang's mind snapped back to his surroundings as he heard a rustle. Moving quickly, he removed a small knife from his jacket pocket and slipped it from one hand to the next, ready to fight should the occasion arise.

A raven was looking down at him from its perch on one of the trees. It cocked its head in what seemed an almost disappointed manner. Wolfgang brandished the knife, and the raven quickly rose and flew away with another rustle of its wings.

Sighing, Wolfgang turned and was shocked to see Kala standing in front of him, her lips a dark shade of blue. She looked up at him with her deep brown eyes, and laughed despite the temperature she was feeling.

Small flakes of snow were falling from the sky onto her face, and melting away around them.

"You know, I've never been to Germany," she breathed, looking longingly at the white setting. "It's beautiful."

"Kala." Wolfgang choked on the word, and quickly hid the knife in his pocket again. "What are you doing here? You'll freeze."

"Well..." She nodded back with a tilt of her head and when he looked up again, they were on the balcony of a building in what he assumed was Mumbai. It was noon, and the sun hit them hard, causing Wolfgang to sweat under his winter jacket.

"I always forget how different you and I are from each other," he muttered, looking over the edge of the balcony. The streets on one side were lively and full of people heading to and coming back from work. He continued in a slow voice, trying not to show his surprise. "Where we come from, how we dress. Who we are."

Kala slowly stepped back, looking at him steadily. "We didn't say goodbye. You just left."

Wolfgang said nothing. There was no explaining why he'd stolen away from the others at the airport. Why he'd spent the entire airplane trip nervous that she'd visit him. Or why he was even _back_ in Berlin. Looking up, he shrugged and slipped his hands into his pocket. Feeling the edge of the knife handle, he hastily removed them, and let his arms fall to his side.

Kala moved forward once more, as if it were hard for her to be separated from him for long. She slowly took his hand, and a new bracelet from which an elephant charm hung caught his eye.

Wolfgang felt something in the pit of his stomach as he looked up at her again. It was as if something was inside him and making him nauseous in a fluttery way. An urge-he didn't know what, and later would wonder why-pushed him to step closer to her. He let go of her hand and cupped her cheek suddenly, so warm against his cold skin. He hesitated for a brief second, and then leaned in to kiss her. Wolfgang didn't have to look away to feel that he had slipped back with Kala to Berlin. The cold seemed to melt away as she met his lips. His hands slowly slid into her hair, trying to bring her as close to him as humanly possible.

"Wolfgang."

Wolfgang whirled around in the snow in response to his name, this time sure that someone was there in the woods with him.

Stepping out from behind a tree, he saw his cousin saunter over casually with a bemused look on his face.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Wolfgang's face became expressionless. "Nothing. A walk. What about you, Steiner? Following Uncle's orders as usual?"

Steiner sniffed in disdain and jerked his head back to the mansion. "Come. Now. We're having breakfast. Unless you'd like to stay here and do…whatever you were doing." Steiner's lip curled at this and he laughed, a nearly dog-like bark. He turned and walked back down the path, heading to the house again.

Staring at the spot where Kala had been, Wolfgang felt as though a part of him had been ripped out suddenly, with no explanation. He followed the fresh boot prints to the house; a cold spreading over him that had not been there previously. It numbed his mind, and he shook his head in confusion.

Stepping inside, his jacket was taken from him by an elderly woman, who hung it on a coat rack. Following his cousin down the corridor, they walked into a high ceilinged room, with large paintings covering the walls, and expensive velvet couches taking up the center of the space.

Sergei was sitting with his legs crossed and his hands holding a too-small teacup. "Sit," he ordered, and gestured to a yellow couch across from him.

Wolfgang reluctantly sat down next to Steiner, who made a show of not looking at him.

"Well, boys," Sergei started, and set the cup down on the elegantly crafted table in front of them. "It is the New Year. And I have a job for the both of you."

Wolfgang tasted something acidic in his mouth, and fought the urge to stand and hit Sergei. To slowly beat him, and watch as his eyes dimmed and showed no signs of life. He felt this strongly, and in that moment he knew he was no better than his cousin sitting next to him, his uncle sitting across from him, or his father in the alley that night. He thought this, and felt again Kala's kiss on his lips. He wondered what would happen if she just realized how damaged and terrible and _monstrous_ he really was and always would be.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Oh my, the Feels are just too strong to handle. Here is the special New Years chapter. Next chapter coming on the 19th. Are Saturdays good? I feel like it's kind of difficult to tell when it's a good time to post. Please note that Chapter 20 (Family Reunion) is very important! Don't skip it, or you may get confused later on. Anyways, I hope all of you have an awesome weekend. Next chapter we will most likely be back at the Board!_

 _~C.o.D._


	23. Chapter 23- Welcome Back

_Chapter 23: (January 10)_

 _Headmaster Matheson looked out at the empty courtyard ahead. The snow lay undisturbed in its bed on the cobblestone, and the fountain remained dry and stony as it waited for springtime. It had been several days since the students had left for their homes, and many of the teachers had left as soon as the semester grades had been calculated and placed on transcripts._

 _A light knock sounded at the door to Matheson's office, and he frowned, unsure if he should open it._

" _Come in," he finally said, and arranged the lapel of his suit as he sat down._

 _His brother walked in, smiling coldly. He stood next to the bookshelf, and admired the office once again._

 _Matheson felt sick as he always did around his brother, but promised himself that he would act professional this time._

" _Well?" he started, upbeat and cheerful. "I didn't know you were coming to visit. Is your protégé waiting patiently back at the laboratory?"_

 _His brother looked at him sharply, his dark suit contrasting with his whitening hair. "I let my own students go on vacation, too. And anyways, he should be back at this miserable institution you call a school within the next month or so. His training is complete."_

" _And are you giving him a position, Milton?"_

" _You say my name as if it's almost accusatory. William. Still upset about the teacher?"_

" _Always. Why are you back? I see you don't have a visitor's I.D." Matheson edged slowly in his chair to the button under his desk that would alarm the security guards in the administration building._

 _"Oh, those little stickers the wonderful woman at the front desk gives out? Really nice girl, by the way, it's a shame she has to stay locked up in that building the year round." He slowly moved forward, and then grabbed Matheson from his chair, pinning him against the window. "Now, you listen to me. Move."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Move! There, get away from the desk. I don't want you alerting this entire island with that silly little button."_

 _Matheson backed away into a corner of the room, between two shelves filled with the numerous scholarly books he'd obtained over the years._

 _"Please, Milton, what are you doing? Just think about what you're doing. Please."_

 _Milton shook his head and folded his arms casually, looking down at his brother in disgust._

 _"Did you know," he started, sitting on the edge of the desk, "that Set and Osiris, the Egyptian gods, were twins? They were the sons of Nut and Geb, and Set wanted so badly to be born first that he tore his way out of his mother's womb. He hated his brother very much, and-well, I think you know how the myth ends…"_

 _Matheson started shaking uncontrollably, and crumpled to the ground. He held his hand out in front of him as protection, and flinched when Milton stood. The sound of his heart pounding in his chest seemed so loud he almost didn't hear his brother's next words:_

 _"You're the only one that knows."_

 _"Please, please don't do this. The boy, Rajan, he knows!"_

 _Milton shook his head, adamant about his decision. He slowly removed a sleek, steel-gray gun from inside his jacket pocket, and pointed it at his brother._

 _"Oh, he knows that I have a brother who looks exactly like me. And why should you be considered dead, if you never go missing? I can't say that I'm sorry about this. Goodbye."_

 _/_

The cold hit Will as soon as he stepped out of the cab, his travel bags in hand and his backpack slung across one shoulder. The crunch of snow reminded him of the Chicago weather he'd left behind. At least there, however, there had been tall buildings to comfort him and protect him from the glacial winds.

"Kroners?" the man in the cab asked, holding out his hand impatiently.

"Oh, right." Will dug through his pocket and leaned in the cab again, dropping the money into the man's outstretched pam.

"Have fun."

"I'll try my best," Will muttered as the cab drove out of sight, and he faced the long, snow-covered path to the school.

As he walked down the path, he thought back to his winter vacation. It hadn't been very fun, and he'd only visited the others a few times. Riley had been busy going to her father's concerts, and everyone else had their own problems to deal with.

Small boot prints in the snow told Will that someone else had arrived and was heading to the school as well. Hurrying his pace, Will turned past the trees and saw a tall figure waiting at the gate while a security guard opened it. Looking back, the girl seemed to recognize him, and he felt that it was Sun. Jogging to the gate as it swung open, he waved his hand in greeting.

"Hey… did you just get back from Torshavn?"

"Yes. I was staying at a hotel there. How are you?" She folded her arms over her black coat to stay warm, and walked in after a hello from the guard.

Will shrugged and adjusted the strap of his backpack. He didn't know exactly how he felt. It seemed that the year was going by so quickly he hadn't had enough time to comprehend anything at all.

"I guess I'm okay. I think I'm going to head to my house and pass out from the jet lag, though," he added, opening the Administration building's door for her.

As they signed in, Will noticed a man leave a room from a door down the hall. After he'd nodded to them politely and walked up the stairs, Will turned to the secretary.

"Who's that? Is he a new teacher?"

The secretary widened her eyes and leaned forward, as if she were about to spill some very important gossip.

"Oh, not at all! He's the new Headmaster at the Board. He's American, apparently. Used to run one of the Ivies."

Both teenagers looked at each other, and then looked back at the secretary.

"What do you mean 'new Headmaster'? What happened to Matheson?" Sun asked.

The secretary shrugged and sat back, clearly having no more information to tell. "He retired just a couple of weeks ago, out of the blue. Anyways, have a fun second semester, and welcome back!"

Sun thought more about the sudden leave their Headmaster had taken of the school. Trudging up the stairs of her House, she waved to Will and opened the door, welcomed by an excited Prefect.

Walking past the fountain, Will noticed a familiar figure in a green parka, and smiled. Slowly creeping up on her, he grabbed her in a tight hug from behind, and she screamed for several seconds, only to realize who was holding her.

"Will!" she yelled, turning to punch him in the arm. "You scared me."

"How was your vacation?" he asked, feeling as though returning to the Board was worth it to see her in person.

"It was wonderful. Here, come in, we can talk." She grabbed his hand, heading towards her House.

"It's good to be back," he murmured, and followed her up the stairs.

/

Finally settled in her House, Kala opened the curtains and looked outside. It was a very happy-albeit very cold- scene, and students were all laughing and hugging one another. Bags were tossed on beds, and girls ran to each other's dorms, while boys grabbed their coats and went to hike in the small woods nearby.

Lacing up her boots, Kala opened to the door and stepped out on the porch. His dorm was right across from hers, and she wondered how many nights he'd stared out of his own window.

Walking to the House, she was quickly intercepted by Myra.

"Hey!" she called while running towards her, her red hair made even redder by the contrast of the snow around them.

"Hello Myra. It's good to see you," Kala yelled over the bustle of noise in the courtyard, and hugged the girl.

Myra seemed relieved that Kala had been kind enough to acknowledge her, and pointed to the dorm.

"I should go put my stuff up there. See you tonight."

Kala moved towards House 2 as soon as the girl had left, hoping no one else would require her immediate attention. There was only one person right now she wanted to talk to.

Knocking on the door, she saw Felix open it. At the sight of her, a sleazy look crossed his face, and he leaned against the doorway, raising an eyebrow.

"Hallo. Do you want to come in, and, uh, talk?"

Kala rolled her eyes and pushed past him, walking into the living room and looking around. Not seeing him, she walked to the back door.

Wolfgang was there, in the snowy backyard, looking at the roll of the hills in the distance. No communication had occurred between them since she'd kissed him, and she'd long anticipated this moment, wondering what each one of them would say. She opened the back door, and walked down the stairs.

The sound of the door sliding open alerted him, and his eyes seemed to widen, but the expression turned to one of bleakness, and he composed himself from whatever he'd been thinking about before.

"Wolfgang!" She ran to him and he caught her in his arms, her familiar perfume and the feeling of her so close to him nearly overwhelming. "We never talked after…" She paused for a second. "I thought something had happened to you."

Wolfgang detached himself from her, and held her at arms length. Kala frowned at this, and she realized what was off about him. Something about him seemed hollow and empty. "What's wrong?" she asked, nervous about the answer.

His voice was monotonous and flat as he spoke:

"Going back to Germany made me realize some things. You were right, at the beginning of the year. This is wrong, and I don't want to be…" He seemed at a loss for words, and then continued, "I don't want to be around you."

Kala shuddered at this and stepped away from him. Wolfgang tried not to wince as he felt devastating emotions run through her mind. Not knowing how to distract himself, he took off his leather gloves and stuffed them in his pocket.

She stepped away again, and laughed shakily, pressing her hand against the base of her throat. It was as if she wanted to say something but could not, and finally she turned and left. Wolfgang saw Felix through the glass of the back door, and looked away. It wasn't just that he couldn't be around her. He couldn't be around _anyone_.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hey guys! I know I usually post at a certain time, but this week is homecoming week where I live, so it's been super busy for everyone in town. Please note, if you are confused about any part of this fic, just PM me! It can be hard sometimes to remember all the details from one or two weeks ago. Again, this chapter is where you would probably get confused if you didn't read the 20th chapter. I know it's long, but it's definitely helpful in understanding what's happening behind the scenes at the Board. Hmm, I feel like there's something I'm forgetting to mention. Oh well, I'll update this author's note if there is. Anyways, next chapter coming, as usual, on Saturday. Hearts and flowers, hearts and flowers. Have an awesome weekend!_

 _~C.o.D._


	24. Chapter 24- Winter Formal

_Chapter 24: February 14_

Riley hummed lightly as she did her homework, setting aside her pencil every now and then to flip music channels on her phone. Snow still fell, but it was lighter now then it had been earlier that winter, and the warmth that radiated from the heater in the corner of her room slowly pulled her into a comfortable slumber.

Her eyes closed and a scene seemed to be laid out in front of her. A beautiful green meadow could be seen beyond a wall made of stone. Opening the gate and stepping on the grass, she looked down in surprise. Her feet were bare and strangely splattered in paint, yet this did not seem to bother Dream-Riley. Looking up again, she saw small slabs of marble covering the grass, and gazing around, she noticed that the grass was turning yellow, and shriveling up into flames. The flames were coming nearer and nearer, and she ran, but it seemed as if her movements had become slow and lethargic. She felt herself grow heavy, and finally dropped to the flaming weeds. "Riley, Riley, Riley, Riley, Riley, Riley, Riley, Riley. Not the tree. Not the sea. Not the tree. Not the sea-." The phrase was repeated many times, until Riley felt a shock that wasn't supposed to be in her dream.

 _"What? Why am I buzzing?"_ Her dream self wondered.

Opening her eyes again, Riley looked around the dim room, wondering how long she'd slept since the sun had set. Her phone buzzed another time, and she opened the text message from Will.

 _Hey. Going 2 the dance? I wanted to see you earlier, but my science teacher was making me redo a lab._

Riley smiled and tried to visit Will, but it felt as if he was busy and she let go, choosing instead to send a quick reply and wandering to the minds of the other sensates. She'd become accustomed in tuning in to their feelings. It seemed as if today, they were all happy… except for one.

Riley shook off her blanket and pushed aside the textbooks as she stood from the bed. She'd tried to help conciliate Kala and Wolfgang, yet it seemed as if the two refused to talk, let alone link together.

Daniela knocked on the door and peeked in, smiling widely.

"Hey! You've been sleeping since foreve _r_. Erity was about to come in here and turn on the lights and I was all like, 'hell no, girl!"

"Hi Daniela. I'm getting ready for the dance." Riley turned on the room's light and winced.

Daniela jumped in excitement and threw open the closet doors. She inhaled happily, as if the recent shopping excursion over winter break could be smelled in the air.

"Isn't it wonderful that they're making the winter formal today? I think it's super awesome. I mean; it sucks for anyone that's not going to have a date, but whatever."

"Who are you going with?"

"Well… I'm planning on finding Lito there. Ugh, he's going to _drop_ when he sees me in my outfit," Daniela replied smugly, throwing dresses on the bunk behind her.

Riley bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing. Clearly, Daniela did not know very much about whom Lito was actually interested in. Slipping into a dark purple dress her friend handed her, Riley looked in the mirror. She didn't think she was nearly as pretty as most people told her she was. Sometimes she would stare at her pale reflection and wonder why Will was with her. Would he still have found her attractive, even if she weren't part of his cluster?

"So, uh…" Daniela moved in front of the mirror to do her makeup, and Riley snapped out of her train of thought. "Have you and Will, ummm, ya know?" She winked at Riley in the mirror and applied a thick coat of shiny gloss to her lips.

Riley felt herself growing embarrassed, and went to sit at the edge of the bed. "Well… not quite."

Daniela turned her eyes sparking in intrigue. "'Not quite?'" she asked, her voice almost drooling in future gossip.

Riley tapped her foot impatiently but smiled. "You know what I mean. I just don't think it's really necessary right now."

Daniela rolled her eyes and brushed through her hair with a small comb. "You're eighteen, for goodness's sake! I can't believe this is coming from someone who sneaks cigarettes on campus."

Riley stopped her nervous tapping and looked at the girl in shock. "You know?"

Daniela took a cigarette from her purse and lit it after throwing the comb on the bed. "Duh."

Riley _had_ wondered why her stash had been inexplicably dwindling the past few weeks.

Daniela puffed out her last breath of smoke with a cough, opened the window, and threw the cigarette out into the night. "So. Are we going?"

/

Kala walked cautiously into the school's indoor gymnasium. The white floors were so clean she could nearly see her reflection peering down in curiosity. All around were tables set with bouquets of flowers, as well as a frightening amount of heart-shaped confetti. Students were already inside, swaying to soft music as the DJ prepared himself.

Across the gym, next to the stand of food, she saw Capheus standing with a rather grumpy looking Sun. Kala walked over and waved to the both of them, though she felt bothered by the dance as well.

"Hello. Are you liking the dance?"

Sun looked at Kala murderously, and turned away to survey the large amounts of teenagers coming in. It was a small gym, as they didn't have more than a few hundred students at the Board, and already the crowds seemed to be forming around them. The DJ welcomed the students to the "2016 Winter Formal," and sounds of cheers and whistles bounced off the walls and filled the stuffy air as people began dancing.

Capheus handed the girls cups of juice, and they drank simultaneously. Kala blinked several times, feeling buzzed by the sudden and much needed energy the juice provided her. She talked with the other two teenagers for a little while, until she saw Daniela, Will, and Riley walk into the gym. She waved them over, and handed each of them a cup.

"It's really good!" she yelled over the music.

"Yeah," Will answered. "That DJ's pretty good, too. I can see you doing that one day, Riley." He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

Riley grinned. "I don't think so."

Daniela moved excitedly to the music, watching the others around her. "I'm going to go find Lito."

Will's eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously behind Daniela, doing a cutting motion across his throat.

Capheus stepped in front of Daniela and said, "Are you sure? You should stay with us, you know."

Daniela sighed and passed them. "I'm good." Leaving the others, she wandered out of the gym, smiling at a security guard who watched the festivities. She walked past him and up the stairs, hoping he wouldn't see her as more students coming in distracted him.

One of her friends had texted her that Lito had walked up to the second floor, and she wandered the hall, regretting her choice of stilettos.

"Lito?" she called out, opening each classroom door. "Are you there?"

She finally came to a stop at the end of the hall, wondering if she should check the other Wings. She turned to do so, but heard a strange noise coming from the janitor's closet at the end of the hall.

"What the hell…" She frowned and placed her hand on the doorknob, its metal cold to the touch. "Lito?"

She opened the door, and was greeted with the sight of Lito pinning a curly haired boy against the wall, and kissing him.

Daniela stepped back, and clasped her hand over her mouth in surprise.

The curly haired boy opened his eyes in shock, and pulled away from Lito, whose expression changed from one of passion to horror as he turned to look at the sudden entrance.

Daniela tried to close her mouth and say something. Finally, "Oh. My. God." She paused and then slowly smiled. "Oh, this is great. This is really, _really_ great."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Here is Part 1 of the Valentine's Day Special Chapters. I'm changing update time, because I realized it's not very convenient for me as a writer or all of you as readers (Saturdays are just so busy). I will be posting on Sundays now. Also, I'm thinking that this fanfic should be done around the time that the characters end school. It's crazy how fast everything seems to have gone by! Anyways, I hope all of you have a GREAT weekend. _

_~C.o.D._


	25. Chapter 25- Flowing Water

_Chapter 25: February 14_

Daniela scoffed and stepped back, but her shock had turned into delighted surprise.

"Well, this is just perfect…"

Lito moved out of the closet quickly, nearly tripping on a mop. He righted himself, and was looking up and down the hall within seconds, Hernando close behind him.

"'Perfect?' What do you mean? Daniela, listen to me, you can't tell anyone, okay? _Nunca_."

Daniela paced back and forth while muttering in Spanish. "What do they call it, your beard? I can do that, and no one has to find out."

Hernando watched her from afar, unsure as to whether she was trustworthy or not. "What do you want in exchange?" he asked, and the pacing stopped. She came closer to him, and placed her hand on both his and Lito's shoulders.

"I think we can all agree," she started, her voice almost a purr, "that sometimes three is company…"

/

The pulsing beat of music created a throbbing sensation in Kala's head, and she sat down on the bleachers to rest.

Nearby, Riley was shouting at Will.

"I can't believe you let her go up there!" She went to sit next to Kala, and Will followed her, exasperated. "You _know_ that Lito doesn't want anyone to find out!"

"I didn't just 'let her go up there!' She's stubborn, there's no way she wasn't going to go find Lito anyways!"

"Well, we need to go and make sure everything's sorted out. Daniela gossips about these sorts of things. _Loudly._ " Riley stood up once more and tapped Capheus on the arm, motioning for him and Will to follow her out of the gym.

As they left, Sun sat down on the bleachers, and looked at the sea of people. The fluorescent gym lights had been turned off as soon as the music had started, and they could only see with the help of glow sticks, lava lamps, and all the other decorations in the dance area.

"Do you miss him?" Sun asked, and Kala almost jumped at the question. She moved closer so that Sun would hear her over the crowd.

"I don't know. I think I must. Wouldn't you know, anyways?"

Sun smirked but shook her head. "I'm not sure what I should know. I can't control the feelings and emotions I get from all of you. It just happens, like flowing water."

"And what happens when you build a dam?" Kala wondered aloud, aware of a sudden buzzing from her phone.

Sun seemed to think about this for a moment. "I suppose you do what _he_ did. Cut off the flow. The emotions…"

Kala squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the bright screen, and read the text message Riley had just sent her.

 _Found them. Daniela knows, though. It was quite awkward._

Another text popped up, this time from Nomi.

 _How's the dance? As bad as Am' and I thought?_

Kala shut the phone off and stuffed it in her purse, looking around again. On the opposite side of the gym, high up on the bleachers, was a figure. It was sitting, and she had an inkling of a feeling that it was somehow watching her.

"I'll be right back," she murmured in Sun's general direction, and made her way through the crowd, trying to avoid the mosh pit that had formed near the DJ's stage. She finally broke through the large body of students, and held on to the metal rails. The figure noticed that she was getting nearer, and it slowly backed away to an exit at the top of the bleachers, which lead to the offices on the second floor.

Kala jogged up the last remaining benches, and pressed through the door, wondering why it was open this late. She turned into a narrow hallway, and then entered an office with large windows giving view to the party below.

The door closed behind her and she stifled a scream with her hand. Slowly turning, someone grabbed her arm, and held it so that she wouldn't strike out with her fist. Looking up slowly, Kala saw Rajan's face in the dim reflection of the lights.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he replied, and he dropped her arm to her side.

"It's f-fine," she muttered, and massaged her wrist. "I wasn't sure you were really back from Iceland. I haven't actually seen you since you left."

Rajan nodded, but Kala felt as if something was off about him. As if he wasn't the same person he'd been before winter break, and this was due largely in part to his acting in a strangely surreptitious way.

"I wanted to ask you something before the year was over," he said.

Kala laughed, but it was only to ease the tension in the room as he stepped closer to her.

"Kala Dandekar, will you marry me?"

Kala's eyes widened, and she felt her mouth open in shock. She tried to formulate words, yet it was very difficult to do so.

"I- Rajan, I'm _eighteen._ This is not how one normally proposes…"

"We're not in India anymore, Kala. We're leaving school in a few months. We can move to Iceland, and I can have a job there after I graduate from a university-."

Kala felt herself grow hot, and she frowned. How could he ignore how hard she'd worked for her education? Did he just expect her to leave her family and country?

"I've already told you. I'm not marrying you." She tried to move around him, but he stepped in front of the door. She refused to look up at him, and focused her gaze instead on a bookshelf in the corner of the room. "Rajan. Please let me leave."

He thought about this for a moment, and finally moved away from the door. Kala walked out into the hall in a hurry, but felt him grab her arm again.

Anger seemed to boil up at the back of her mind, but this time she realized it wasn't hers. She heard steps coming down the hall, and didn't notice that Wolfgang was there until he'd stepped in between her and Rajan.

"Let her go," he seethed, and held Kala behind him as Rajan did so.

Rajan shook his head, looking from one sensate to the next. He strode out of the hallway and back to the bleachers, slamming the door shut. Kala let go of Wolfgang's hand, and moved away until her back touched a wall. She slowly sat down.

"I've never seen him so angry," she said, and gripped her purse tightly.

Wolfgang stood at the opposite wall, but she avoided his gaze as she had for the past month. He said nothing, and seemed fine with the gap in conversation.

"Why were you here?" Kala asked after a few minutes, finally daring to look at him. His expression wasn't cold and emotionless as it had been the last time they'd spoken. Instead it was blazingly furious, and he clenched and unclenched his hands several times. She wasn't sure which Wolfgang she liked more, at the moment.

"He shouldn't have done that. If he'd done anything I… I wouldn't. No, he wouldn't have done anything." He seemed to be fighting certain thoughts in his mind, and the wall was there once more.

"But why were you following me?" Kala persisted, and felt herself clawing at the wall, wishing she could tear it down.

Wolfgang sighed and gave up as he walked over to her side of the hallway and sat next to her. He shrugged and looked at his watch, seemingly lost in a different time.

"Do you remember that night?" he started, and Kala was surprised by how soft his voice was. "The night when the rain was terrible, and there was a thunderstorm. I told you that I was selfish."

 _So it wasn't a dream,_ Kala thought to herself.

"It's because of you," he whispered and looked over at her. "You make me selfish because I want you. You don't know the things I've done, Kala."

Kala shook her head and slowly held his hand. He didn't move away, and she strengthened her grip. "Wolfgang, I don't know what happened to you. I'm not sure you'll ever tell me, but I know that you're not evil. You're not a monster."

Wolfgang chuckled, but it was a dry and humorless sound. "Please stop, Kala. Just stop. Stop trying to act as if I am good. I'm not."

Kala frowned and turned sharply towards him, so much so that he almost seemed broken from his trance-like state. "You _are_ good. You saved Lito when he was in trouble. You stood up to Camille. You helped us find Taika, and you stopped Rajan. I still wonder why you act as if you don't care about any of us."

Wolfgang turned towards her, and she saw him sad for the first time.

"I don't know. I used to think maybe I could protect you from myself. But I hate staying away from you. It hurts, Kala. It hurts like… like someone beating me." He trailed off again, and his gaze seemed to wander over her face, until it rested on her lips.

"You hurt me too, you know. In your own way," Kala whispered.

Wolfgang said nothing. He knew he'd hurt her. He knew that better than anyone, since he felt her pain everyday, even when he blocked the others from his mind.

Kala leaned forward and kissed him softly. It was a sad and bittersweet kiss, and Wolfgang ignored all impulses to stop, to pretend that he didn't care anymore.

Kala's phone buzzed once again and she felt Wolfgang sigh. Turning to open her purse, she read the message and held her breath in surprise.

"What?" Wolfgang asked, and he looked over her shoulder as he sensed her urgency.

Kala stood quickly and she felt the blood rush to her legs from sitting for so long. "We need to go."

/

Nomi heard an urgent knock on the door, and she went into the entrance hall to open it. Kala and Wolfgang entered, throwing their coats on a nearby chair.

"What happened?" Kala asked, jogging alongside Nomi to the living room.

"I don't know, it was on the news, something happened, but it's on the news now and-." Nomi seemed flustered, and she latched on to both Kala and Wolfgang arm. "Didn't you feel it? I knew I'd felt it, I just didn't really know last year, why…"

The trio finally made it to the living room, where a large crowd of students-some in formal attire and others in pajamas- was surrounding the flat screen T.V. on the wall. A Prefect nearby turned the volume up, and the voices shushed as news was repeated. It was in Icelandic, but there were live subtitles in English, most of which were hard to read.

"What is it, what are they saying?" Amanita asked aloud. Riley stepped out from behind her and started translating slowly.

"…Was found earlier today by a jogger near Reykjavik, Iceland. The body seemed to have suffered many lacerations before decomposition, although it has been confirmed that the initial cause of death was most likely cardiac arrest. Reports say that the remains of the woman suggest she died late last year, possibly in October. Icelandic police are currently investigating." Riley stopped, and everyone was silent. Myra, who had somehow appeared next to Kala during the news, was the first to speak.

"That's her, isn't it? That's Alvira. Why… how is it that..." She seemed to choke on the words, and held her hand up to her mouth.

Will shook his head. "It can't be her. We don't know that it's actually her."

"Oh shut up, Will, shut up! Something sick is going on here, I can feel it! It's sick, I feel sick, oh my God," Myra began wheezing, and held on to Kala for support.

Everyone in the House was shouting and screaming now, and the Prefects were hopelessly trying to calm the younger students down.

Kala heard none of this, only Myra's incessant, nervous chattering.

"She's dead. Oh my God. She's gone. They're here. They're going to kill you. They're going to kill all of you. She's dead. She's dead. She's _dead_."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I feel like I haven't posted in forever, but it's only been eight days. I told you guys, "hearts and flowers, hearts and flowers!" That was kind of a bad joke, but there's the last chapter of the Valentine's Day Special. Next chapter coming on the 11th. If you have any questions about the story/plot at this point, PM me! I hope all of you have an awesome week!_

 _~C.o.D._


	26. Chapter 26- Hello

_Chapter 26: March 31_

It had been more than a month since the news about Alvira's death, yet everywhere were remaining signs of mourning, from both adults and teenagers alike. Flowers and candles were placed at the door of her classroom, and many students stopped showing up to the Schoolhouse at all.

The day after the dance, the new Headmaster had even given a formal speech at an assembly about the ongoing investigation, and how 'there was still hope.' It was all a joke, of course. Somehow-and for some sick reason-their teacher had been kidnapped and killed. After that first week, no one had dared to leave the school grounds. Except for Wolfgang Bogdanow.

He walked on the familiar path to the highway, and then took the side road to Hvitanes. He blasted loud music in his ears, pulling the hood up over his head so no security guard driving to the school would recognize him. It had been hard enough finding a way out of the gates, and he didn't need to be expelled just weeks before graduation.

The road eventually led to the colorful village, and Wolfgang approached the duplex. He knocked at the door and tried to open it, but it was locked and a small sign hung on the frosted glass pane, barely legible. He tried the door handle again, but a loud, attention-attracting cough stopped him immediately.

"She's gone."

Wolfgang turned to the man, a middle-aged but athletic looking person. His eyes were a bright, mischievous green, and his arms were folded, a crate at his feet.

"What do you mean, 'she's gone?'" Wolfgang asked, turning away from the door and slowly moving towards the man. "Where did she go?"

"It's not really my concern. I think she's selling the place, though. Heard she was staying at the Hotel down in Torshavn. Left me this." He nudged the crate with his foot.

"What for?"

"Just some of her things. She was a fortune-teller. Did some other stuff on the side, but that was her main profession. It's sad she's leaving; she was nice. A bit on the quirky side, though…"

"You speak good English," Wolfgang noted, folding his own arms.

"I moved here a while back. Kind of enchanting, Streymoy, don't you agree?"

Something about this man reminded Wolfgang of someone else, but he couldn't place exactly _whom_.

"Anyways," the man said, looking down at the crate. "You can take it. I assume you're the kid that Taika wanted this to go to? She just said someone would probably show up, and I should give this to them."

Wolfgang took the crate gingerly, and held it against his chest. "Thank you. Do you know where I can find her?"

The man shrugged, and opened the door. "Most likely at the graveyard past those houses, there. She's saying goodbye before…" He seemed pained suddenly, but masked his features as he trailed off.1

"Before what?" Wolfgang snapped, his patience rapidly deteriorating.

The man stepped into his house, and looked at the boy through the screen door. "Didn't you know? She's leaving the country, son. Tomorrow, I think. It's hard to live in the past, and not much changes here in Hvitanes."

Wolfgang turned away from the duplex, carrying the crate under his arm as he walked down the road to the hills the man had pointed out. He remembered the day he'd killed his father, and then visited the grave when the lowlife had been proclaimed missing (and presumably dead). He understood what Taika felt. It was one reason why the Board had been such a blessing after the years that had followed the murder. He could pretend that maybe it had never happened.

Leaving the houses behind, Wolfgang made his way up a path that wound around small knolls, until he finally reached an open meadow. A short wall of stone surrounded the somber yard, and a lone tree stood at the center of it all.

Wolfgang swung open the gate, and stopped when he saw Taika, hoping not to startle her as she stood in shock and looked down at the grave. But she knew he was there, and she motioned with her hand for him to advance closer. Sometimes Wolfgang wondered if she really _was_ psychic. He stopped next to her and looked down at the headstone, engraved with Alvira's name and dates.

"I thought she was American," Wolfgang noted, placing the crate down on the ground.

"She was, but her mother… my grandmother, I suppose, was Danish. She lived a lot of her life in America, but her real home was here."

Wolfgang watched as Taika placed a flower at the base of the headstone, and then bent down to retrieve the crate. She held it gently in her arms, as if it were an infant, and sorted through the items.

"I want you to give this to Riley, please," she said, and held up a clear plastic bag with the Wheel of Fortune Card inside.

"Why Riley?"

Taika smiled blandly, looking through the rest of the objects in the crate. "Riley is one of those special girls, the ones you rarely meet in life. There's something about her. She would have made a great fortuneteller, I should think. She has a certain mystery."

Wolfgang murmured assent, and watched as Taika took out a small letter from beneath the other contents.

"The rest of this crate should go to Myra. And give her this letter, too."

"You're not going to say goodbye to her? I thought you were like sisters."

Taika shook her head and whispered something that Wolfgang didn't catch. It sounded, however, like "more than you think." Wolfgang took the crate from her to carry it once more.

Taika brushed her hands and leaned down in the damp grass, level to her mother's gravestone. She kissed the tips of her fingers, and gently pressed it to the smooth stone, letting it linger until her hand dropped to her side. She stood and looked at Wolfgang, the green in her eyes seeming to vanish and turn to gray.

"This does not come as a surprise to me, Wolfgang. I had a feeling she was already gone. But leave as soon as you can, like I am. I know what you did, those years ago. Don't go back to Berlin."

"Where do I go? And how?" Wolfgang asked, frowning.

"You should follow the dark-haired girl. You would follow her anywhere, no? You'll find a way."

 _Kala,_ Wolfgang thought, and something inside him seemed to hurt at the thought of her. She'd accepted him into her life, but at what cost?

"Don't think too long on it. Follow your instincts, as you've always done. I'm sure we'll all meet again, some day soon. Say goodbye to them for me, please." Taika covered her short hair with her rain jacket's hood, and walked out of the graveyard, disappearing down the hill as a light mist of rain fell, soaking through Wolfgang's sweater.

/

 _May 8_

It had been several days since their graduation, yet they still felt like students at the large institution that was the Board. The staff had been lenient in giving them a week to pack up and leave. But the eight sensates believed it would take much longer to ever leave what had become their home.

Kala looked out the window of her bedroom, packed full of boxes and beds stripped of their sheets. She moved the drapes as far to the side as they would go, and looked for Wolfgang across the courtyard.

A wave of a hand in the upper window of House 2 made her smile, and she pointed down to the fountain. Thumbs up signaled "yes," and she slipped on her mountain boots, grabbing her luggage as she ran out of the room, and nearly collided with Myra.

"Where are you going?" the redhead asked, her voice sounding more and more somber ever since the news about their dead teacher had arrived.

Kala tilted her head towards the stairs. "It's still early, we have time to meet up with everyone before we leave for the airport."

Myra paused and looked around her dorm once, taking in the memories of the House. Then she grabbed her backpack and the mysterious crate Taika had left her, and the two girls were jogging down the stairs to the courtyard.

Kala still wasn't sure if she and Wolfgang were dating. They certainly spent most of their time together, and everyone around them referenced them as a couple. But Wolfgang was distant, and Kala wondered if he always would be.

As she saw him sitting on the fountain's wall, she felt a tingling in her stomach, but not from butterflies. It was a sensation of nervousness. What would they do after today? Where would each one of them go?

"Kala? You're coming with us, aren't you?" Wolfgang asked, looking at her with concern.

Myra cocked her head to the side and clicked her tongue. "She looks a bit _green_ if you ask me."

Kala shook her head and smiled, trying her best to look and feel at ease. "I'm fine. I just realized how quickly everything went by. And now I know I won't ever see this place again." She turned to take in the dorms and the Schoolhouse beyond, empty of students now.

Wolfgang slowly pressed her hand and nodded towards the gates. As the three of them walked towards it, their bags in tow, he whispered, "You'd be surprised what happens to us sometimes. To where we end up." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye quickly, judging her reaction. But Kala was thoughtful, adjusting the strap of her backpack every now and then as they left the school grounds and stopped at the lines of trucks waiting to drive them to the airport. Dropping their belongings in the seats until they could return later, they walked towards Hvitanes.

"What are you doing?" Kala asked Myra as the girl took several pictures and videos of the hilly landscape.

"I just feel that I need a reminder. I've been here four years, yet I feel that that time was fleeting. You know? It's as if this is more of my home than England."

Kala smiled and sniffed, zipping her jacket as the cool summer wind hit her. "It's funny that you say that. I remember my first week at the Board. I wanted to go back to India. I missed the heat." She heard Wolfgang scoff and turned to roll her eyes at him. "What? You'll like it too. It just takes time to adjust."

Wolfgang paused, surprised but hopeful at her statement. "Are you asking me to go back home with you?"

Myra continued her hike to leave the two alone, and Kala stopped to look at Wolfgang.

"I'm not saying that you have to. If you don't want to come back to India with me, I completely understand. But the planes leave soon and I think we should decide."

Wolfgang looked down at his boots, dark against the light verdure surrounding the path. Going to India with Kala was a huge decision, and he felt this in her emotions. If they were leaving, did that mean they were ready to start a life together?

"I'm not trying to impose anything," Kala blurted out, blushing as she understood what he felt. "I don't want you to feel obligated to come with me, and I know how it must have sounded but-."

Wolfgang leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek, trying to calm her again. Stepping away, he nodded towards Myra in the distance, visible only by her dark bags and flaming red hair.

"We'll find a way, Kala," he murmured as they started walking again. "It might not be today, or tomorrow. It might not be for a few months. I just… there are some things I need to take care of back home."  
Kala looked at him in surprise. "You're going back?"

"Yes. And when I'm finished with what I need to do, I'll follow you. I'll follow you home." Wolfgang tried his best to make it sound convincing as he plastered a smile on his otherwise humorless face. He wanted to be with her, but he needed to go to Berlin again and take revenge on his remaining family. _Once I do, she'll never want to see me again,_ Wolfgang thought to himself. But he ignored this thought and walked on until he saw his friends waiting for them at the graveyard.

Will opened the gate slowly, squinting in the bright sunlight.

Riley, Myra, and Capheus were standing in front of Alvira's grave, frowning.

A few feet away, leaning against the large tree in the center of the graveyard, were Lito, Sun, Nomi, and Amanita.

Kala let go of Wolfgang's hand and walked over to Nomi, who looked agitated and less composed than usual as she spoke.

"God, I don't even know what to think anymore! All this time I was spending trying to find out who was sending the cards, where Alvira went, how to hack into the school's mainframe, and why the hell I was connected to seven other people. And I have answers now, but they aren't what I was looking for. I just feel disappointed, you know? Like I came to learn and study, and I got whisked away on this… this bizarre mystery _thing_ , and now it's just gone and done and over. What do I do now? What do _we_ do now?"

Amanita patted her girlfriend on the shoulder. "Life isn't ending, Nomi." She grimaced as she realized she was standing in a graveyard, and lowered her voice. "Okay, so maybe it ended for the people buried here. But we get to continue our lives. You're coming with me to San Fran, and everyone is going to go and do their own thing. It'll get better. I promise."

Kala walked back to where Riley was sitting, the cobalt-colored strands in her hair looking as if they had slowly faded to a light blue with time.

"Is it strange that I didn't even know her, yet I feel so strongly about her death?" Riley mused, flipping the Wheel of Fortune card from one hand to the next.

Kala sat down in the grass as well, and traced the letters of her name in the grass. "No," she started, and thought back to their school year. "No, I don't think it's strange. I don't know exactly what she was to us, but she was something nonetheless. And death is always sad."

"Death doesn't let you say goodbye," Capheus murmured on the other side of Riley. The two girls turned to look at him, and then back at the headstone.

"It's funny because I was never good at saying goodbye," Riley said, standing again with Will's help as the others surrounded them and looked down at a fresh bouquet of flowers that had been placed at the bottom of the stone.

Wolfgang stood next to Kala and watched her carefully. He didn't know if he was addressing her or his other friends, but he felt that it needed saying. "There isn't ever goodbye. Not for us. We're always with each other. There will always be 'hello.'"

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Wow. I feel sad right now. This is the last chapter of Sense Teens. I think I've developed a sort of love and caring for this fanfic, and it's kind of hard to let go just yet. But everything must come to an end. Over the next few days I will be editing and updating all of the chapters. This chapter will be combined with last week's chapter, Chapter 26 (just a warning if you come back and you don't see a Chapter 27). Anyways, I decided to leave it here because I thought it was a good idea to end the fanfic when the teens graduate high school. But I've been thinking about where this story left off, and I can see possibilities of a sequel fic in the future (maybe once we get season 2?) Meanwhile, I'll probably be writing short one-shots of the grownup sensates. It was lovely having the opportunity to write this, and I had a lot of fun doing so. PM me if you have any Sense8 stories you'd like to share or for me to read. I'll see all of you later with my next story!_

 _~C.o.D._


	27. A Note About Sense Teens

Hello everyone! So it's been about two years since I finished this fanfic and, in honor of the upcoming 2nd season of Sense8, I've decided to edit it and release a new version. The story itself won't be changed entirely, but I'll definitely be re-editing and adding to each chapter. If you see a duplicate of the story in the coming weeks, don't worry. It's still from me, but an updated (better?) version of Sense Teens. Feel free to follow it, or, if you prefer the old version, follow that one.

Thanks for reading!

~Convention of Distraction


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